Conceal, don't feel
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: When Elphaba flees to the Great Kells, the last thing she expects to finds is a girl her age with uncontrollable winter powers. Elphaba and Elsa soon bond and join forces. Meanwhile, Fiyero travels into the mountains to find his true love, while Anna and Kristoff run into a blonde in a bubble. Fiyeraba & Kristanna. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So... yes, I saw the movie, and it is EPIC... and given that Elsa is so much like Elphaba, I couldn't resist writing this.**

**This first chapter is kind of an introduction, focusing on several characters to show you at which point in the story they are, who they are with, what they are doing, etc.. **

**This will be AU for both Wicked and Frozen (starting from a given point in the musical/movie) and the basic idea is that Arendelle is on the other side of the Great Kells (because when Arendelle has mountains and Oz has mountains, it's just logical to make them the same mountains, right?).**

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

_Let it go, let it go_

_I'm one with the wind and sky_

Elsa spread her arms, and ice spiralled upwards all around her. The snowflakes whirled around her as she set her powers free, released them into the icy cold air. A magnificent ice palace rose all around her, and she threw her head back and laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in forever. She felt free. Up here, she couldn't hurt anyone. Anna was safe. Everyone was safe, and she would be alone, but free.

_Let it go, let it go_

_You'll never see me cry_

She removed the tiara from her head, looking at it for a moment before tossing it aside. The winds picked it up and took it higher in a spiralling tornado of snow. Elsa pulled her hair free from the restraining pin that had been holding it in place and unclasped her cloak, allowing it to fly off on the wind. Her fingertips tingled as she turned her navy blue dress into a gorgeous, sparkling, ice blue gown, finishing the picture with a new cloak, a lighter one, to match her dress. She closed her eyes and spread her arms, feeling the power surge through her.

_Here I stand_

_And here I'll stay_

She wasn't going back. Ever. Arendelle would be fine without her; they didn't need her. They had Anna now.

Anna…

She shook her head, determined not to let the thoughts of Anna weaken her. She was doing this for her sister, too. To protect her. She had almost killed her once, and she would _not _allow anything like that to happen ever again. Anna would be Princess of Arendelle and Elsa would stay where she was, right up here in her ice palace. She would be alone… but then again, hadn't she been alone pretty much her entire life?

And besides, if that was the price she had to pay to keep the people safe, then she would.

_Let the storm rage on_

Elsa opened the doors to her icy balcony, placing her hands on the railing and breathing in the cold winter air. Around her, the snow was still falling, the ice palace still growing, her powers continuing to break free after years of being stashed away in a dark corner of her soul. She was letting go, and it felt good. A small smile graced her lips as she took in the snowy mountains around her, the place she would call home from now on.

"The cold never bothered me anyway," she whispered to herself, before turning around and going back inside, carefully closing the doors behind her.

* * *

Elphaba bent down lower, her hair falling down over one shoulder and her chin nearly brushing the broomstick as she urged the thing to go faster. She shot up higher, out of the Gale Force's reach, and breathed a sigh of relief. That had been a close call – again. She should really be more careful… but then again, no matter how careful she was, they always found her trail at some point. They always came after her.

She straightened up again, impatiently brushing a few locks of hair away from her face as she pointed the broomstick in the direction of the Great Kells. She would be safe there. No-one ever went up there – all she had to do was find the highest mountain and set up camp there, if only temporarily. She needed to lay low for a little while.

She sighed, her heart sinking as she thought of the things that had happened that day. First her fight with Nessa, the fact that she had had to change Boq into a tin man… She cringed a little. She felt bad for leaving Nessa behind like that, but she hadn't had much of a choice, really. What she'd told Nessa was true – she had done everything she could for her sister, and it hadn't been enough. It would never be enough.

After leaving Nessa behind, she had flown straight to the Emerald Palace, where the Wizard had discovered her in his Throne Room. He had tried to placate her, convince her to work with him, he had even set the flying Monkeys free; but then she had discovered Dr. Dillamond and she had rejected his offer. Before he could even make his way over to his mechanical head to call the guards, she had launched herself across the room, snatching her broom away and jumping out of the window. She had been chased by some of the Gale Force soldiers, but they couldn't keep up with her, no matter how hard they tried.

Now she was making her way over to the Great Kells, determined to stay there for a while and calm herself down a little. She needed a plan.

* * *

"Olaf," Anna said urgently, kneeling down in front of the snowman. "Did Elsa create you?"

He nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Do you know where she is?"

More nodding. "Yeah, why?"

Anna grew more and more excited. "Do you think you can take us to her?"

"Yeah, why?"

Anna looked up at Kristoff. "She's here!"

"Where, exactly?" Kristoff asked the snowman, and Olaf thought about it for a moment.

"She has a palace," he said. "A palace of snow and ice. She's been staying there. I can take you to her."

Anna smiled broadly at him. "Lead the way, Olaf, please!"

Kristoff leant towards her. "Are we really following a snowman right now?" he whispered in her ear.

She elbowed him in the side. "If he can take us to my sister," she hissed back at him, "then I am willing to trust him. We have to end this eternal winter, Kristoff. Only I can do that."

He looked sceptical. "And how did you want to go about that, exactly?" he asked her. "Have you thought about that yet?"

Anna shrugged. "I'll just talk to her," she said simply. "She's my sister."

He looked doubtful. "Who says she's not going to hurt you? Who says she'll _listen_?"

"She would never hurt me," Anna insisted, moving through the snow as she followed Olaf. Sven trudged behind her, nudging her shoulder as she walked. She laughed and petted his nose before turning to look back at Kristoff again. "I don't know if she'll listen," she said truthfully. "But the least I could do is try."

He couldn't really argue with that, so instead of trying, he just kept his mouth shut and followed Olaf, Anna and Sven as they made their way over to Queen Elsa's ice palace.

* * *

"The Witch! The Witch was here!"

The entire Palace was buzzing with the news, and Fiyero hurried towards the Throne Room. "Your Ozness?" he asked the moment the Wizard came in sight, meanwhile trying his hardest to ignore the furious pounding of his heart in his chest. "What happened?"

"It was the Witch," one of the other Gale Force soldiers told Fiyero. "She was here. She threatened the Wizard."

"Did you catch her?" Fiyero asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. Much to his relief, the other man shook his head.

"She escaped," he said. He pointed towards the window. "Through the window. She's heading towards the Great Kells."

"Guards!" the Wizard's mechanical head suddenly boomed. "The Witch has travelled in the direction of the Great Kells! I need volunteers to go there after her and FIND HER!"

Fiyero immediately raised his hand. "I volunteer!"

Glinda, who had bounced after him, gasped and grabbed his arm. "No! Fifi! What are you doing?"

He turned to look at her, softening upon seeing the anguished look in his fiancée's blue eyes. "Glin," he said, taking both her hands in his. "We'll talk about this later tonight, okay?"

She looked up at him. She looked like she wanted to say something; but instead of doing so, she just nodded. "Okay," she said in a small voice.

As Fiyero and the other volunteers received their instructions for finding the Witch, Fiyero's mind was reeling.

The Great Kells. That was where he would find her.

That was where he would go.

* * *

Elphaba stared at the girl across from her.

She had been flying over the mountains when she had suddenly realised that everything beneath her was white. When she had landed, she had discovered that the entire area was bathed in a thick layer of snow and ice… and then she had discovered the shining palace in the distance. She had climbed back onto her broom and flown in that direction, curious, and then she had seen a girl exiting the palace. The girl that was now standing a few metres away.

Elphaba dropped her broom and took a step closer.

Elsa came closer as well.

They studied one another for a few moments. Elsa's skin was pale, while Elphaba's was green. Elsa had platinum blonde, almost white, hair, and was dressed in a light, icy blue gown; while Elphaba's hair was a midnight black and she was wearing her trademark ebony dress. They took each other in for a few long moments, completely silent. It was almost like looking into a mirror that reflected the exact opposite of yourself – they were so different that in a way, they were alike.

Light blue eyes met dark brown ones. "Who are you?" Elsa asked, breaking the silence. "What are you doing here?"

Elphaba blinked, completely stunned that this girl didn't recognise her. She let out a small, nervous laugh. "Are you serious?" She gestured towards her green skin, her hat, then her broomstick. "Doesn't ring any bells?"

Elsa shook her head.

Elphaba gestured towards the palace now. "Is that yours?" she asked in wonder.

Elsa nodded a bit hesitantly. "Look," she said with a sigh. "You should get away from me."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Not that I wouldn't like to get to know you," Elsa quickly said. "It's nothing personal, trust me. It's just… I don't want to hurt you."

Elphaba took the other girl in for a few long moments. "Then don't," she said simply.

"I wish it were that easy!" Elsa made a frustrated hand gesture, and immediately, a few icicles suddenly appeared from the frozen ground and pointed in her direction. She quickly lowered her hands, folding them together. "Please leave," she whispered.

Elphaba, however, was amazed. "You have magical powers?" she whispered incredulously.

"It's why I left Arendelle," Elsa said, wrapping her arms around her own waist. "I was endangering everyone. I can't control it, which is exactly why you need to leave. Please… I don't want to hurt anyone."

Elphaba couldn't believe her own ears. Here was a girl her age with magical powers… and she couldn't control them. Elphaba hadn't thought she would ever meet anyone like herself, but this girl seemed to prove her wrong.

"I don't want to leave," the green girl said. "You're the first person to talk normally to me in over two years."

Elsa seemed astonished to hear that. "I…"

"You can't make me leave," Elphaba added. "I refuse to." She wanted to elicit a response from the other girl, try to get her to use her magic. She wanted more proof of what this white-haired girl could do before she would give herself away.

Elsa frowned slightly. "This is _my _palace," she insisted. "I created it. If I want you to stay out, you will stay out."

Elphaba smirked slightly. "Try me," she suggested.

Elsa hissed in annoyance, and suddenly, there were more pointy icicles rushing their way. They came from behind Elsa and they were aimed at the green girl across from the queen.

"Do it," Elphaba challenged her. "I'd like to see that power of yours."

The icicles rushed towards Elphaba, ready to impale her. Elsa yelped, "Look out!" but before she had even finished speaking, Elphaba had raised her hands and the icicles shattered in thousands of tiny pieces of ice.

Elsa stared at the ice scattered everywhere, then back at the girl opposite her, with wide eyes. "How…" she stammered. "How did you…"

Elphaba gave her a tired half-smile. "You're not the only one with powers," she said. "I learnt to control them – to some extent, anyway – but they're still there, and they're still a danger."

Elsa gestured towards the castle with a trembling hand. "Would you like to come in?" she asked, her voice shaking almost as badly as her hand.

Elphaba nodded. "I think you and I should talk."

* * *

"You're going to the Great Kells," Glinda said. "On a dangerous mission to find her."

"Glin, I'm the Captain of the Guard," Fiyero reminded her. "They would expect me to –"

"That's not the reason," Glinda cut him off. "That's not the reason and we both know it."

He closed his mouth again.

Glinda started pacing, her beautiful ball gown dancing around her as she strode across the room and back. "I tried to fool myself," she said. "I saw it, but I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to believe it. I convinced myself that you wanted to find her for _me_, to reassure me, because she's my best friend, but… but that's not true, is it?"

He kept silent. He knew there was nothing he could say right now to make this better.  
"We were drifting apart," she said. "I knew it, and so did you. So I arranged the engagement, because I thought it would make you happy… or perhaps that wasn't even the reason," she whispered. "Perhaps…" He could almost _see _realisation dawn on her. "Perhaps it was just a way, a desperate attempt, to keep you with me."

He still didn't say anything, just watched her as her mind kicked into overdrive. Like this, pacing up and down as he could almost _see _her racking her brain, she reminded him of someone else. The one person he would leave Glinda for, and Glinda herself was finally figuring that out.

"Or not even that," Glinda went on. "Because… because I deserve better than that. Don't I?"

"You do," he said softly, because she did. She was a wonderful person. She deserved someone to love her, truly love her, with all his heart. Someone that was not Fiyero.

"Maybe it was a test." Glinda stopped and looked at him. "I hoped you'd be happy," she confessed. "I really, really hoped you would be, because it would mean that you really did love me. That the only reason you were so distant was because you were busy, or thinking about a difficult Gale Force mission, or… or… anything. Anything but this. But it _was _this, wasn't it?" Her blue eyes finally filled with tears as she looked him in the eyes.

"You're willing to travel into the Great Kells," she whispered. "You're willing to risk freezing to death, getting lost… you're willing to face the most dangerous place Oz has to offer. That's how badly you want to find her."

Fiyero could only nod, not seeing any point in lying to her. He had lied to her for far too long now.

"H-how long?" Glinda's voice was almost a whisper, and the betrayal and hurt in her voice broke Fiyero's heart.

"She doesn't know," he said, wanting to make that clear. "I don't even know if she feels the same way about me. But…" He closed his eyes for a moment.

"I love her," he then confessed, and Glinda gasped and abruptly turned away from him.

"I'm sorry, Glin," he said to her back. "I really am. But it's true. I… I love her. I've loved her ever since Shiz. When you girls travelled to the City, I thought about it, and… and I promised myself I would break things off with you the moment you'd come back, because it wasn't fair for any of us if I kept on leading you on. I never loved you the way you wanted me to, and I'm sorry for that."

Glinda sobbed. "Why didn't you?" she cried, turning around to hurl a pillow in his direction. "Why didn't you break things off with me? Why in Oz did you _lie _to me for over two years?!"

"I didn't want to hurt you more!" He looked at her pleadingly. "Please try to understand me, Glinda," he begged her. "You came home, and you were so heartbroken… I couldn't break your heart even more! And besides, I thought I'd never see Elphaba again, anyway – she was gone and for as far as I knew, she wasn't going to come back… and I didn't want to leave you alone. Not after you went through all that."

Her sobs had turned to sniffles now. "I… I understand, I guess." She sighed and turned back to face him. "I hate you," she said. "I hate you for lying to me, and I hate you for loving someone that's not me, but… but the truth is that you can't really help it, either. You don't choose who you fall in love with." She lowered her eyes. "And maybe I was blind," she admitted. "Maybe I was so impressed by the way we looked together, how perfect we were, that I didn't see that we were never really in love. I do love you," she told him. "In a way, but… but maybe not the right way, either. Maybe… maybe you're right."

He looked up at her. "Thank you," he said softly. "For understanding."

She leant down to kiss his cheek. "I'm still mad at you," she warned him. "You shouldn't have lied to me for this long."

He stared at his shoes in shame. "I know," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

"And I kind of want to turn you into a toad right now," Glinda continued.

Fiyero cringed.

"But…" She bit her lip. "You're going on what's basically a suicide mission tomorrow," she said in a small voice. "And if something should happen to you, I don't want to feel awful because my last words to you were "I hate you"."

He smiled slightly. "That's nice of you."

"Self-preservation," she told him haughtily. Then she smiled a bit sadly at him as well. "Go," she said softly. "Go with them. Find her. Make sure she's safe."

Fiyero squeezed Glinda's hand. "I will."

She removed her engagement ring from her finger, looking at it for a long time before placing it on a small table in the corner of the room. She looked at him. "Good luck," she said.

Then she left the room, making sure Fiyero wouldn't see the tears that were shining in her eyes.

* * *

**Any thoughts? Comments? Favourite lines? Feel free to leave a review :).**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Wow, guys! 13 reviews on one chapter! O.O I'm blown away! Thank you all so much!**

**I hope I can keep everyone in character - I've seen Frozen three times now, so I'm going to try... we'll see where it goes from here.**

**Personally I'm imagining both Elphaba and Elsa as Willemijn Verkaik in my head, but of course if you want to think Idina instead, that's fine :3. Have you heard Willemijn singing Let It Go, though? In any version (English, Dutch or German)? She is so amazing!**

* * *

**Chapter 2.**

"So," Elphaba said once the two young women were inside of the ice palace. The dark-haired witch perched in the window seat, looking out over the snowy mountains around them. "I'd _love _to hear your life story."

Elsa bit her lip. "You shouldn't be here," she whispered. "What if I hurt you?"

"You can't hurt me."

"How do you know?"

"I can help you," said Elphaba. "I think," she added. "Only I need to know what your background is first."

"No-one can help me," Elsa insisted, turning around with a swish of her cloak. She ran the fingers of both hands through her hair, still trembling slightly. "You have no idea what you're asking of me," she said. "You wouldn't understand. No-one would."

Elphaba crossed her legs. "Try me."

Elsa's eyes narrowed upon hearing the dry, yet challenging tone of the other girl's voice.

She whirled around. "I have magical powers."

"Something we seem to have in common."

"I can't control them. Never could."

"That makes two of us."

"My parents are gone."

"Mine are, too."

Elsa frowned at the other girl. "I nearly killed my sister," she snapped.

Elphaba grimaced. "Join the club."

Elsa's frustration drained away, leaving only curiosity in its wake. "Really?" she asked in wonder. "You nearly killed your own sister?"

Elphaba drew her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of them. "Want to hear _my_ life story?" she asked wryly.

Elsa nodded and the green witch sighed. "My mother died because of me," she said simply. "My sister is crippled, which is also because of me. I constantly caused magical outbursts when I was younger, and when I finally found someone who could train my powers, she turned out to be evil and declared me a Wicked Witch, which is why I was so surprised that you did not recognise me. All of Oz knows who I am, and they all fear me. They all want me dead."

Elsa was shocked.

"My father died, too," Elphaba went on. "After I became the Wicked Witch of the West, he died of shame. I left my best friend behind on her own, and I had to turn my sister's boyfriend into a tin man in order to keep him from dying."

She looked at Elsa. "Your turn," she said.

Elsa fidgeted. "When I was a small girl, I accidentally struck my sister with my magic," she whispered. "She nearly died, and I swore it would never happen again. I wore gloves from then on, and I tried to keep my emotions in check… I shut my sister out. When I got older, my powers got out of hand, and I locked myself in my bedroom most of the time to keep myself from hurting people."

"Huh," Elphaba muttered. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Elsa threw her a look.

The green girl rolled her eyes. "I was joking, okay?" she said. "Besides, I had my sister to take care of, anyway."

Elsa nodded sadly. "I wanted to take care of Anna, too," she whispered. "But then our parents died, and I was crowned queen of Arendelle… that was only a few days ago. I got into an argument with my sister, and my power got free… everyone knows what I am now." She looked up at Elphaba. "Most of them think I'm a monster," she said softly. "They want to arrest me, lock me up… they want to kill me."

Elphaba stared at her. "This is so strange," she said finally. "It's like I'm listening to my own story."

Elsa sighed, burying her face in her hands. "Maybe they're right," she said, her voice muffled by her hands. "Maybe I am a monster."

"If you're a monster, then so am I." Elphaba thought about it for a few moments. Then she said, "How about you and I make a deal?"

Elsa raised her head to look at the other girl. "What?"

"We could help each other," Elphaba offered. "I'll teach you to control your powers, if you help me overthrow the Wizard and Morrible." Upon seeing Elsa's confused look, she clarified, "The two people who rule Oz right now. The ones that declared me a Wicked Witch."

Elsa nodded slowly.

"I could use your winter powers," Elphaba added.

Elsa looked at her. She searched the other girl's eyes for any sign of insincerity, anything she should be wary of; but she found nothing.

"Deal," she said finally, extending her hand. "I'm Elsa."

Elphaba shook it. "Elphaba."

As their hands touched, crackling magic filled the air.

* * *

"Jermain!" Fiyero called, running to catch up with the other man. "Hey, wait up!"

Jermain stopped, staring down at the prince incredulously. "Fiyero?"

Fiyero cracked a smile. "The one and only." He bridged the final distance between them, looking up at his older brother. "What in Oz are you doing here?" he demanded. "Since when are you part of the Gale Force?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Jermain spluttered, but Fiyero scowled at him.

"Everyone knows I'm in the Gale Force," he said pointedly. "I'm the Captain of the Guard, actually."

Jermain stared at him.

"And everyone knows that," Fiyero continued, "because _some of us _do visit our parents every now and then, or at least write to them, instead of disappearing off the face of the earth."

Jermain stared down at his boots, shuffling a bit uncomfortably. "…yeah." He looked up. "How are they? Mum and Dad?" he asked.

"They're fine." Fiyero shifted his heavy bag a little on his back. "Wondering where you've been and what you've been doing."

Jermain sighed. "I didn't mean to make them worry," he said. "I just… you know I needed some time for myself."

Fiyero nodded.

"I spent a lot of that time in the mountains. All by myself, you know? To… find myself, if you will."

Fiyero just nodded again. His brother had been through a lot, and he understood that Jermain had needed some time to get himself back together.

"Is that why you're going on this fool's mission?" Fiyero asked him. "Because you know the mountains so well?"

Jermain nodded. "I figured I might as well put that knowledge to use," he said. "What about you?"

Fiyero hesitated. "Let's… let's just say it's about a girl," he said finally.

Jermain smiled knowingly. "Trying to impress someone by risking your life to capture the Witch?"

"Oh, I'm planning on capturing the Witch," Fiyero said with a small grin. "Just not in the way you think."

Jermain eyed him curiously, but didn't say anything.

"Alright, men!" Madame Morrible, who was seeing the men out, shouted. "You will be travelling into the Great Kells in small groups! Don't forget that the Witch is dangerous," Fiyero snorted at that, but no-one but Jermain heard him, "and that you need to approach her with utter care. Try to stick together; this will heighten your chances of finding her and _not _getting killed. If you do find her and she resists, feel free to shoot."

Fiyero blanched.

"Dead or alive, I want her back here," Morrible hissed. "Is that clear?"

The men nodded, and the old hag raised her arms. "Good fortune, Witch Hunters!" she yelled.

With that, the group travelled up into the mountains.

* * *

"You know?" said Elsa, panting slightly after releasing her powers the way she had. "You really bring out the worst in me."

Elphaba sniggered and patted the queen's arm. "Now don't think I'm always that obnoxious," she said. "I was trying this time."

Elsa looked around her, shuddering slightly. "And apparently it worked."

Sharp, pointy icicles had emerged from the walls of the palace, pointing at Elsa. The ice had cracked and darkened; and at one point, Elsa had even accidentally conjured up a blizzard.

They had been practising for hours, with Elphaba pushing the other girl to her very limits. A few times, Elsa had accidentally almost impaled Elphaba or even crushed her underneath a block of ice. Elphaba had assured her beforehand that she could protect herself, and Elsa had been relieved to see that that was true; but the palace was a mess now.

Elsa was still breathing hard. "I… I did all that?" she whispered incredulously, looking around her.

"You're powerful," Elphaba told her. "And you obviously know how to control it – to some extent, anyway," she added upon seeing the sceptical look on Elsa's face. "You created this ice palace, didn't you?"

"Yes," Elsa had to admit.

"At least that's something," said Elphaba. "My own powers never seem to work the way I want them to. Not when it comes to the big things, anyway."

Elsa looked at her. "They don't?"

"Last time I tried to save someone's life, I ended up changed them into tin," Elphaba said sarcastically. "Does that answer your question?"

Elsa bit her lip.

Elphaba sighed and stared up at the – now extremely sharp and pointy – ceiling. "Tell me about your sister."

"About Anna?"

"Is that her name?" Elphaba tried it out. "Anna… I like it. It's nice."

Elsa smiled. "It is," she whispered. "She's wonderful. We were so close when we were younger, we used to play all the time… she was fascinated by my magic."

She sat down next to Elphaba, looking out of the window. "After I… I struck her with my magic," she said, her voice trembling a little, "her memory of it was erased. She didn't remember I had powers… for her own safety. I had to move out of our shared room, and the gates of the palace closed… I needed to stay inside until I would learn to control it, only it got stronger every day."

She leant her head back against the wall. "I had to shut Anna out," she whispered. "It was the right thing to do. As long as I couldn't control it, it would be dangerous… I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to her."

Elphaba nodded slowly. "I understand." She sighed. "I used to feel the same way about Nessa," she said softly. "Only… only it didn't matter. I failed her. I tried everything I could to keep her safe and happy, but she just…" She sighed again and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore," she said. "Nessa is lost now. Anna is not. Elsa, you should make amends with her."

Elsa looked shocked. "What? No!"

"Yes." Elphaba looked at her intently. "Elsa," she said. "She's your sister. She loves you."

Elsa started biting her lip again.

"She doesn't understand what's going on," Elphaba continued. "Just explain it to her. For me and Nessa, it was too late… but you two can still have a relationship. You can bond again, you can be as close as you used to be… just let her in."

A memory surfaced in Elsa's mind, three years ago, right after their parents had died…

..._I'm right out here for you, just let me in..._

Elsa swallowed.

"I'm not saying you made the wrong decision," Elphaba assured her. "Believe me, I would have done the same thing. But… she knows now, doesn't she? About your powers. You might as well tell her the whole truth… she'll understand."

She would. Elsa was sure of that. But could she take the risk? "What if I lose control again?"

"That's what we're going to work on," Elphaba told her. "You'll be fine, Elsa. Trust me."

Elsa looked at the strange young woman, the complete opposite of her, yet so the same. Her skin was green. She flew around on a broomstick. Elsa barely knew anything about her, other than the things Elphaba had told her so far… but she did trust her.

She looked up at the green girl. "I trust you."

Elphaba smiled a bit sadly. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You have no idea how long it's been since anyone said that to me."

Elsa reached out to take her hand and squeezed it. They stayed like that for a while, sitting in the window seat together, both of them lost in thought.

* * *

Glinda sighed, staring out of the window. She felt sad. Empty. What was she going to do now? Fiyero was gone, and even if he would return from the Great Kells unharmed, she knew he would never come back to her. He wasn't hers to have anymore. Never really was.

And then there was her best friend… Elphie. She wished she could see her again. She missed her so badly – she just wanted to talk to her, hug her, make sure she was okay…

She looked at the Great Kells in the distance and slowly, a thought formed inside her head.

"It wouldn't be that strange for me to travel there, would it?" she muttered to herself. "I mean… to the people, Fiyero and I are still engaged, and everyone knows I travel by bubble. If I were to go after him, presumably to check up on him…"

She made her decision. She hurried out of the room, informing the Wizard of her plan to follow her fiancé to the Great Kells in order to be able to see how he was doing and assist him with her magic if needed. The Wizard granted her permission to do so; and within an hour, she was in her bubble, wrapped up against the cold and ready to go.

She just needed to know how her best friend was holding up.

* * *

**One of you might recognise the name Jermain from my original story. I couldn't think of a good name for Fiyero's brother :3. You'll find out more about him in the upcoming chapters.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3.**

"Hey, Elsa?" Elphaba frowned as she stood looking out of one of the windows. "I think someone's coming."

"Someone's coming?" The queen stepped up next to her new friend, squinting at the small figures that were moving towards the ice palace. She looked at Elphaba. "You should hide," she said. "I don't know who they are. If they came to arrest me… I don't want you to get involved in this."

Elphaba nodded. "Just be careful," she warned the other girl, before disappearing behind a curtain made of snowflakes.

Elsa smoothed out her hair and straightened her back, slowly walking down the stairs until she could see the grand doors that were the entrance to her palace. When she heard someone knocking, she made a hand gesture, and the doors opened.

Disbelief, as well as relief, flooded her face when she saw who it was. "Anna?"

"Elsa!" the younger girl exclaimed, hurrying inside and up the stairs to give her sister a hug. "Oh, Elsa, I'm so glad that you're alright! You look…" She took in her sister's appearance. "Different," she finished finally. "But… a good different."

Elsa could only smile slightly at that. "I… Anna, I just want you to know that…" She faltered, her voice trailing off, but Anna didn't need her to say much more.

"I understand," she assured her sister. "Elsa, I understand it all now. Why you shut me out, why you…"

She was interrupted when Olaf suddenly came jumping into the hall. "Hello!" he exclaimed, holding out his arms. "My name is Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

Anna could see the realisation dawning on Elsa, her expression turning incredulous. "Olaf?" she whispered. "But…"

"You created me," said Olaf, and Anna knelt down next to him.

"He's just like the one we made when we were little," she said, looking up at Elsa. "Do you remember?"

Elsa bit her lip, memories flooding her mind. "Yes," she said quietly. "Yes, of course I remember." She stared at Olaf, then at her own hands. Had she really done this? Not only could she control ice and snow, conjure up blizzards and freeze everything in her tracks – literally… apparently she could also bring things to life.

"No," she whispered, abruptly turning away from Anna and moving back up the stairs. "Anna, you should go."

Anna shook her head. "I just got here!"

"It's not safe," Elsa insisted. "You belong in Arendelle, and I… don't. Not anymore. Anna, please. Go. Be their princess."

"I'm not leaving you." Anna followed her sister up the icy stairs, talking all the while. "Elsa, I understand you now. I understand it all. We can be close again – I'll help you, I promise! Just please… don't shut me out again," she begged as she walked after Elsa into another room. "Please. You're my sister…"

"No." Elsa whirled around to face the younger girl. "Go back, Anna," she instructed her. "Go back. Enjoy summer. Be happy."

Anna stared at her sister in mild shock. "You… you don't know, do you?" she whispered.

Elsa frowned slightly. "I don't know what?"

"Elsa…" Anna moved a bit closer. "Arendelle is covered in snow," she said. "You kind of caused an eternal winter? Everything's frozen…"

Elsa stiffened, then turned her back towards her sister again, pulling her braid over her shoulder and chewing it nervously. What had she done _now_?

"It's okay," Anna hastened to reassure her. "You can just thaw it, and everyone will be fine –"  
"You don't understand – I can't!" Elsa turned to face her sister again, looking desperate. "Anna, I have no idea how to thaw it!" she cried. "I can't control it, I can't…"

"We'll find a solution," Anna promised her. "If you'd just come back with me!"

Elsa wrapped her arms around her own waist, breathing hard. What had she done? Everything had gotten out of control… she couldn't undo it, she had no idea how… she couldn't go with Anna. Not now. Not after learning about this. What if she would do something even worse? What if she accidentally killed someone, or… or…

She felt herself growing more and more agitated, fear coursing through her body, and she clenched her fists. "Conceal, don't feel," she whispered. "Don't let it go, Elsa, keep yourself in check…"

Behind her, Anna was still trying to persuade her into giving in, but Elsa just couldn't. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know…" she whispered to herself as some kind of mantra, but it wasn't helping.

Elphaba, still watching from behind the snowflake curtain, saw all of this. Because Elsa had her eyes closed, she couldn't see the snowflakes that started whirling around her in some kind of tornado; but Elphaba could, and she swiftly moved closer to the other girl. "Elsa," she said softly, trying to keep Anna from hearing her. "Elsa, it's okay. Calm down. You'll be fine, but you've got to calm down or you might lose control again. I'll help you, we'll get you to control it and you can return to Arendelle with your sister, I promise… but right now you just need to calm down, okay?"

Elsa, however, was being completely swallowed by the mini-blizzard right now. Her eyes were still closed and she had clenched her hands to fists tightly, boring her fingernails in the palms of her hands. Nothing seemed to be able to get through to her, and Elphaba feared she already knew what was going to happen.

Anna took a step closer. Elsa's eyes flew open…

…and her power was released.

But Elphaba was faster.

"Elsa, no!" she yelped, her fear for the two other girls in the room causing her powers to act out on their own once again. A shockwave rippled through the room, sending Anna flying to the ground, thus preventing her from getting hit by Elsa's icy powers. Elsa herself was knocked over as well, and the entire palace shuddered as Elphaba's powers collided with Elsa's.

Then everything stilled and it was over.

Elsa was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. She looked up at Elphaba, her face pale. "You… you saved my sister," she breathed.

Anna pushed herself back to her feet, looking stunned and slightly terrified. "Elsa?" she asked in a small voice. "Who is that? What just happened?"

Elphaba helped Elsa up, but the white-haired girl looked ready to faint. "This is…" She waved at Elphaba. "This is Elphaba," she said weakly. "She… She has powers, too, and… she just saved your life." She started trembling. "Anna, you should go," she whispered. "Please, _please _go. I almost killed you. I can't do that… not again, not again, please…" She whimpered softly, slumping against the wall and sinking down onto the floor. "Anna, get out of here."

Just then, Kristoff came storming into the room, skidding to a halt. He took in the queen, who was curled up on the floor, sobbing. Next to her was a green woman – _a green woman?_ – dressed in a long black dress, placing one hand on Elsa's shoulder comfortingly. Anna was on the other side of the room, looking like she had just seen a ghost.

He immediately ran over to her, grasping her hands in his. "Anna? Are you okay?"

She nodded faintly. "I'm fine." Her gaze was fixed on the two women at the other side of the room. She took a step closer. "Elsa…"

"I really think you should go right now," Elphaba spoke up softly.

Kristoff eyed her warily, but since his main intention was to keep Anna safe, he couldn't really protest against the green woman's suggestion. He wanted Anna out of here as well.

Anna looked at Elphaba, who gave her a half-smile. "I'll take care of her," she promised quietly. "I'll help her get her powers under control. But for now…" She shook her head slightly, and Anna understood.

"Okay," she whispered. "I… Take care of her."

Elphaba nodded and Anna looked at her sister, tears stinging her eyes. "Bye, Elsa."

Her only reply was another sob, and she had to resist the urge to run to her sister and wrap her arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. "You'll be fine, Elsa," she said, her voice sounding stronger now. "Just hold on, okay?"

With that, she and Kristoff left the room.

* * *

When Elphaba finally re-emerged from the other room – after Elsa had asked her to leave at least ten times – she started when she found Anna, Kristoff and Olaf sitting at the top of the stairs.

"What in Oz –" she began, but Anna quickly jumped to her feet.

"I can't leave her," she said, her eyes pleading, begging Elphaba to understand. "She's my sister, she's the only family I have left…"

Flashbacks of her own final moments with her sister forced themselves upon Elphaba, and she closed her eyes for a moment, willing them away.

"Please," Anna whispered. "I can't just leave her now."

Elphaba opened her mouth to reply, but just then, the door opened and a high-pitched voice called into the big hallway, "Woohoo! Anybody home?"

Anna watched in interest how Elphaba's face immediately blanched. _Is that even possible when one's skin is green? _Anna wondered, but then she decided that it was, because Elphaba definitely looked paler than before. Mint green instead of emerald green, Anna decided.

They all looked down into the hallway, only to find a petite blonde girl in a blue dress entering the palace.

Beside Anna, Kristoff snorted. "You know?" he said. "For someone trying to live in reclusion –you know, retreating to a creepy ice palace on the top of the highest mountain, far away from any kind of civilisation - Queen Elsa sure gets a lot of visitors."

Anna elbowed him in the side.

"I'm serious," he protested. "You'd think that these people were smarter than this. Am I the only one drawing the logical conclusion that maybe, _just maybe_, the queen is hiding away here because she wants to be _alone_? Just a thought."

Anna glared at him, but before she could say anything, Olaf was bouncing down the stairs, stopping in front of the new visitor. "Hi, I'm Olaf!" he said happily. "And I like warm hugs!"

"Oh!" the blonde girl exclaimed, kneeling down. "This is so amazifying! A living snowman!" A tiny frown crossed her face. "Warm hugs… are you sure?" she asked Olaf. "I mean… You're a snowman. I wouldn't want to m-"

"Make you uncomfortable!" Anna quickly cut in, suddenly appearing next to the new visitor. She looked at the other girl apologetically. "He doesn't know he'll melt when it gets warm," she whispered to the blonde. "He's so excited about everything warm – I didn't have the heart to tell him."

The blonde girl beamed at her. "Oh, that's so goodly of you!" she gushed. She gave Olaf a hug. "Hi, Olaf! I'm Glinda."

Beside Kristoff, still on the landing above the hall, Elphaba whispered softly, "Glinda…" She was clutching the balustrade so tightly her knuckles had gone white.

"Um… Miss?" Kristoff tentatively touched her arm, quickly retreating his hand when she jerked away from his touch. "Are you okay?"

"Make her leave," Elphaba whispered. "I can't do this, I can't…" She took a deep, shuddering breath, some colour returning to her face. "She's my best friend," she said softly. "She shouldn't be here – it's too dangerous."

Just then, however, Glinda looked up, and a smile so radiant it could compete with the sun lit up her face. "ELPHIE!" she screeched, storming up the stairs, past a bewildered Kristoff, and tackling Elphaba in a hug. She hit the other girl with such force that they both ended up on the floor, a flurry of blue and black fabric and tangled limbs, and Glinda wrapped her arms around her best friend so tightly she almost squeezed the air from her lungs. "Elphie, thank Oz you're alive! I missed you so much!"

"Wha-" Elphaba clawed at Glinda's arms in an attempt to take in a breath. Glinda slightly loosened her grip, allowing her friend to breathe and look at her. "What are you doing here?" Elphaba finished her question.

Glinda beamed at her. "Looking for you, of course!" she said. "Oh, Elphie, so much has happened, but I needed to find you – I wanted to know if you were okay, and I needed to warn you… they know you're here, Elphie, they know you're in the Great Kells, and they're sending troops to find you! Gale Force soldiers! Fiyero is one of the volunteers, and –"

Elphaba's face fell. "Fiyero?" she whispered.

"Yes, but he doesn't want to _kill _you, Elphie!" Glinda rambled on. "Of course he doesn't – he knows who you really are! We actually broke up, you know – Fiyero and I. I mean, he didn't really love me anyway, so what was the point in –"

"Glinda, stop!" Elphaba held up both hands, silencing her friend. "Slow down."

"Um… Elphaba?" Anna said hesitantly. "Who is this? What is going on?"

"I…" Elphaba sighed, looking from Kristoff to Anna and back again. "I come from the other side of the mountains," she said finally. "From a land called Oz."

"They all think she's a wicked witch there," Glinda informed them.

Elphaba threw her a look. "Yes, thank you for your input, Glinda," she said sarcastically.

"But that's not true!" Glinda quickly assured the others, throwing her arms around Elphaba again and hugging her tightly. "She's wonderful!"

Elphaba cringed. "Don't say 'wonderful'." It reminded her of the Wizard.

Anna and Kristoff shared a look.

"I… I came here because I was on the run," Elphaba confessed. "People were trying to kill me. That's when I found Elsa, and we decided to work together. I would try to help her with her powers, and she would help me with my problems."

"And… who is this?" Anna asked, indicating Glinda.

The blonde immediately rose to her feet, smoothing out her gown. "My name is Glinda," she announced proudly, "formerly Galinda, Upland of the _Upper _Uplands, more commonly known as Glinda the Good. It's a pleasure to meet you." She curtsied.

Anna curtsied as well. "Princess Anna of Arendelle," she said. She nudged Kristoff with her elbow. "This is Kristoff."

A white head appeared from behind Anna. "And I'm Olaf!" the snowman said, wearing his permanent broad grin.

Glinda giggled. "I'm also Elphie's best friend," she declared, patting Elphaba's hand. "And Elphie, right now you need to get out of here. The Gale Force is coming. If they capture you…"

Elphaba bit her lip. "I…"

Glinda took the green girl's hands in her own. "Find Fiyero, Elphie," she told her. "He'll help you."

Elphaba looked confused. "What? But… but why…"

"He loves you," Glinda said matter-of-factly. "It's why we broke up, actually. It's also why he came into the Great Kells on this mission, and why he joined the Gale Force in the first place. To find you. Because he loves you."

Elphaba's mind was spinning. "What… what are you saying?" She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. This was madness. It was too much. She couldn't handle this – not now.

When there was suddenly a crash from the room she had left Elsa in, Elphaba was almost grateful for the distraction. She scrambled to her feet, eager to get away from everyone. "I'll be right back," she said, her voice a bit choked, before she hurried into the other room.

Elsa was standing in the middle of it, icy mist moving up all around her. "She's still here, isn't she?" she whispered when she heard Elphaba enter.

The dark-haired witch nodded. "She doesn't want to leave you." She moaned and sank to the floor, her back against the wall – a part of the wall that wasn't covered in pointy icicles. "I bet she and Glinda would get along very well," she muttered. "Why can't they understand that it's best for them to stay away?"

Elsa looked at her. "I thought you wanted me to make up with my sister," she said.

"I do." Elphaba leant her head back against the wall, eyes closed. "But I don't want Glinda to be here. It's too dangerous. And besides… I don't really want Anna here at the moment, either. Or Kristoff. Or you, for that matter." She opened her eyes to look at Elsa. "Those people I mentioned? The ones that want me dead?"

Elsa nodded.

"They sent soldiers," Elphaba said softly. "They're on their way here right now. Glinda, my best friend, just got here – she told me. You should go. All of you. I don't want you to get hurt."

Elsa slowly rose to her feet, looking out the window for a moment, then back at Elphaba. "Then you and I will go," she said.

Elphaba stared at her.

"Those soldiers," Elsa said. "Would they hurt your best friend and Anna if they got here?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Glinda is pretty influential," she said. "They wouldn't hurt her, and I know she would keep Anna safe as well. The Gale Force would only use violence if they thought I was around somewhere."

Elsa nodded. "Then we should go," she said. "Right now. We'll leave them here, where they're safe, and we'll just fly out on that… broomstick of yours."

Elphaba let out an incredulous laugh. "Are you serious?"

"I can't be around Anna right now, Elphaba," the queen said. "And you clearly can't be around Glinda, either. I think this might be best… for now, anyway."

Elphaba looked at her broomstick, lying on the floor a few metres away. Then she looked back at Elsa.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Elsa nodded. "I'm sure," she said. She walked over to the broomstick, picked it up, and held it out for Elphaba to take. "Let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: You have no idea how happy I am that you all like this! Especially since my last crossover kind of sucked - mainly because I had to juggle around too many characters at once - I was kind of hesitant to start this one; but I just couldn't resist it, and now I'm so glad I did. Your reviews inspire me, so thank you all so much :).**

**Bookworm741: Don't you worry, I'm working on it!**

**BlueD: He'll be back. *Terminator face***

**I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my dearest darlingest twin sister Elizabeth (or musicgal3). Go check out her stories - they're amazing - but that's not even the reason; the dedication is because she's just a wonderful person, because she's sweet, because she makes me laugh and reads my mind and because I can talk to her about anything 3.**

**Excuse the cliffy. I have a reputation to uphold.**

**And please, people, I beg you - check out our Lurlinemas one-shot story! In case you didn't know, it's called Merry Lurlinemas by the Dutchtralian Twins (= musicgal3 and me) and we'd love for it to get some more reviews! ^_^**

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**Chapter 4.**

"She did _not _just do that!" Glinda screeched, her high heels making a clicking noise on the icy floors as she paced up and down, fuming. "I can't believe she did this!"

Kristoff slowly leant closer to Anna, whispering in her ear, "Talk to her."

Anna turned large, questioning eyes on him.

"Just say something," he whispered. "Anything. Before she gets a heart attack. I don't want to have to use my ice skills to preserve dead people."

Anna rolled her eyes, but stepped closer to Glinda nonetheless. "Miss Glinda?"

"Just Glinda," the blonde said, waving her hand in the air. "There's no need for honorifics, I'm not here in a professional setting and I'm just…" She whirled around to face Anna. "Would you tell me what's going on here?" she demanded. "What in Oz happened, where did Elphie go, and who are you and why are you here?"

Anna explained the situation the best she could, even though she didn't understand everything herself. When Glinda filled her in on Elphaba's history, however, the pieces of the puzzles slowly seemed to fit together.

"So it seems like they're much alike," Anna concluded. "Elphaba and Elsa, I mean. They… they both have powers, and from what you just told us, Glinda, it seems that Elphaba wants to protect you…"

"She always wants to protect everyone," Glinda sighed. "Only she fails to see that we have minds of our own and that we can very well decide for ourselves whether we want to be protected or not."

"Exactly!" Anna exclaimed. "She's my sister – I'm not afraid of her!"

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. "Even though she almost struck you with her magic today?" he said pointedly.

"Yes," Anna insisted. "I love her, and I know she loves me, too."  
"And that's why she's staying away," Glinda said softly. "That's why Elphie stayed away from me all this time, too. They don't want us to get hurt."

Kristoff sighed. "So why exactly aren't you just staying away from them?"

Both girls stared at him as if he had said something really stupid – which in their opinion, he really had.

Olaf leant into him. "I think that was the wrong thing to say," he whispered needlessly.

"So we're going to look for them," Anna stated, turning towards Glinda and ignoring the others for now. "Right?"

Glinda smiled at her. "Right."

"Right," Olaf echoed. Kristoff just scowled, but by now, he knew that if Anna set her mind to something, there was no reasoning with her. If the girl wanted to find her sister, then they would go and find her sister.

"Fine," he grumbled.

Anna looked at him. "You don't have to come with us," she said. "You've brought me up into the mountains to find my sister, and we've done just that. Thank you for taking me."

He nodded.

"But I know you probably have better things to do," Anna went on, "so I wouldn't mind if you would go back now. To your," a smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth, "ice business."

Glinda burst out laughing. "He has an _ice business_?" she giggled. "In a land where there's eternal winter?"

Kristoff glared at them both. "Yes, yes, we get the point," he grunted. "And you two laughing at me almost makes me change my mind about what I'm going to do next… but not quite. I'm coming with you."

Anna stopped laughing. "Really?"

He nodded. "You could obviously use the help," he said sarcastically, causing her to stick out her tongue at him. "No, really. What would your fiancé say if you perished in the mountains?"

Glinda squealed. "You have a fiancé?"

Anna nodded. "His name is Hans," she said proudly. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

"And she's known him for a day," Kristoff chimed in.

Anna frowned at him. "Kristoff, I told you. If it's true love, it doesn't matter for how long you've known one another. He proposed and I said yes, and that's the end of it."

"Wait." Olaf frowned. "Why did you just call him Kristoff? I thought his name was Sven."

"The reindeer is Sven, Olaf," Anna said patiently. "The man is Kristoff."

Olaf's frown deepened.

Glinda was looking at Anna. "Well, at least your guy actually _knows _you're getting married," she muttered. "Mine didn't, and look how well that turned out. I hate to break it to you, Anna, but to marry while you've known one another for just one day? I don't think that's going to end well."

"Thank you!" Kristoff exclaimed.

Anna shook her head. "Glinda, you don't understand," she said. "It's true love, I know it is!"

"That's what I thought," Glinda said sarcastically, "before I realised that he was really head-over-heels in love with my best friend."

Anna gaped at her.

"Believe me, Anna. One day is too short." Glinda shook her head. "You only know certain things about a man once you've spent a longer time with him," she said. "Like… It took me a week to discover that Fiyero likes to pick his nose."

Anna threw a look at Kristoff, who was rolling over with laughter. "I told you," he grinned. "Every man does it." He looked up at Glinda. "Does he eat it, too?"

"Ew!" Glinda shrieked, at which Kristoff only laughed harder.

Anna huffed and crossed her arms, staring daggers at Kristoff. "And I told _you_," she said irritably, "that Hans is a _prince_. Princes don't pick their noses."

"Actually," Glinda chimed in, "Fiyero is a prince as well. The Crown Prince of the Vinkus, to be exact."

Kristoff was laughing so hard by now that he was almost choking on it, while Anna just continued to glare at him.

"Tell me about Hans," Glinda said, oblivious to everything around her but the red-haired girl and always eager to hear a good love story. "What is he like?"

"Oh, he's so kind," Anna said, smiling when she thought of him. "He's a real gentleman. He has twelve brothers, you know – _twelve!_ – and like I said, he's from the Southern Isles… His favourite food is sandwiches, and…" She faltered.

"And you don't know anything else about him," Kristoff finished for her.

She ignored him. "And he's wonderful," she finished, daring Kristoff to counter that statement.

Glinda smiled at her. "He sounds great," she said. "Fiyero only has one brother, also older than him, but they always got along really well."

Kristoff frowned. "If he's got an older brother, then how can he be Crown Prince?" he asked.

Glinda grimaced slightly. "Jermain is… I've met him once," she said. "He was supposed to be King one day, and he was engaged to a girl… I don't know what happened, exactly – Jermain didn't like to talk about it and neither did Fiyero, because he felt like it wasn't his place to tell – but at some point there was an accident. Jermain's fiancée died. Apparently it was really horrible, and Jermain has never been quite the same again. He discarded his birth right of becoming the King and left the Vinkus. He's been travelling all over Oz ever since, trying to find himself. Fiyero was very worried about him."

Anna and Kristoff were both silent, and even Olaf felt that the atmosphere had grown serious now and kept his mouth shut. "That's so sad," Anna whispered eventually.

Glinda smiled sadly. "I know. But he'll find another girl to love again," she said. "It's been three years now, I believe... he still doesn't want to be King – Fiyero will be – but I do believe he's finally getting better."

"That's good," said Anna. "I can't even imagine what it must be like to lose your fiancé like that."

Kristoff already opened his mouth, but Anna elbowed him harshly in the stomach. "I know you were going to make some kind of remark about me and Hans only having known one another for a day," she hissed at him when he whined. "Don't."

"Wasn't going to."

She raised an eyebrow and he caved. "Okay, I was."

Glinda was beaming at them. "You know, _you _two would be cute together," she said.

Anna and Kristoff immediately started spluttering.

"What?" Kristoff laughed nervously. "No, no…"

"I'm engaged," Anna protested weakly. "I couldn't…"

Glinda held up both hands. "Okay." She was grinning, though. She saw a perfect opportunity to play matchmaker here.

"Shall we go?" she suggested. "I'll magic myself some warm clothes, and then we can go towards Oz. Let's find Elsa and Elphie!"

* * *

"We can spend the night here." Elsa gestured for Elphaba to go into the small cave they'd found. They huddled against the back wall together and Elphaba softly whispered an incantation under her breath, creating a small fire to warm them.

"Heat…" Elsa sighed, holding her hands close to the fire. "It feels like a lifetime ago since I last felt heat."

"It hasn't been that long." Elphaba leant back against the wall. "But I know the feeling. Not with heat, but with… other things." She was quiet for a moment. "Do you think we made the right decision?"

Elsa nodded. "I do," she said firmly. "It wasn't easy, but it was the right thing to do."

Elphaba nodded, too. "I know." She sighed. "I just don't like leaving Glinda… again."

Elsa eyed her curiously. "Again?"

As they sat there, near the fire, Elphaba told her everything that had happened to her in her life so far. When she finished, Elsa did the same.

Elphaba squeezed her hand. "At least we're not alone anymore."

"Thank goodness," Elsa said.

Elphaba let go of her hand to skim her hands over her own waist, wincing slightly. She muttered another spell under her breath, a healing spell, breathing a sigh of relief when the biting pain in her side subsided.

Elsa looked incredibly guilty. "I'm so sorry about that."

"You already said that," Elphaba reminded her. "It's fine. Really."

Elsa shook her head. "No, it's not," she disagreed. "I hurt you. I froze you to the point where you got _burnt_. From the cold!"

"Elsa," said Elphaba, looking at the other girl. "I knew you couldn't control it, okay? I knew you could freeze me. I still told you to hold on to me tightly. It's my own fault, really. And besides, it's no big deal – it's already healed."

"Yes, but –"

"No 'but'. It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"But everything I touch freezes!" Elsa exclaimed. "How could I ever… I mean… I'm going to need gloves," she said, her voice trembling a little. "Just in case. What if I freeze you again? Only worse this time?"

"Elsa." Elphaba placed both hands on the other girl's shoulders, looking into her ice blue eyes. "It's okay," she said. "We'll be fine. I'll help you find a solu-" She suddenly cut herself off, eyes lighting up when she had an idea. "Wait a clock-tick. I _have _a solution!"

Elsa blinked, confused. "What?"

Elphaba had let go of her and was now on her knees, a thick, leather-bound book opened in front of her as she flipped through the pages. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply, absorbing the magic she could feel radiating from the Grimmerie. Then she opened her eyes again and looked at the page that was lying open.

She looked back up at Elsa. "I could help you," she said softly. "This spell… it will allow you to direct your magic, to control it better, by connecting it to your mind instead of your emotions. Right now, it spins out of control whenever you're angry, or afraid, or upset… and though that can come in handy sometimes, in your case it's mostly inconvenient. This spell ties your powers to your thoughts instead, so that you can choose when you want to use your magic and when you don't."

Elsa held her breath, her eyes brightening. "Really?"

Elphaba nodded, biting her lip. "Only…" She sighed. "This book is powerful, Elsa," she said quietly. "It's also unpredictable. Spells don't always turn out the way I want them to… you need to know the risks before I do this."

Elsa shook her head. "Elphaba, I've been afraid all my life," she said. "I'm willing to try everything. Cast the spell."

"Are you sure?" Elphaba asked one last time. When Elsa nodded, the raven-haired witch held her hands above the pages of the Grimmerie, closing her eyes and allowing the magic to flood her. "Please don't backfire," she begged the book in a whisper.

"_Sintem Sinter Ah Nilatum Nahmen La Ih Tum… Santum Eleka Eh Tum Nah Li Nilatum_," she chanted softly, her voice melodious, almost like a song. Elsa watched in awe as the emerald witch cast the spell. Elphaba truly looked like a sorceress in that moment, fierce and powerful, and Elsa sucked in her breath as she suddenly felt a strange sensation coursing through her body. It felt like everything inside of her was tingling with a warm glow. Then the feeling disappeared and Elphaba was looking at her apprehensively.

"Did it work?" she asked.

"Only one way to find out," Elsa spoke softly. She looked at Elphaba. "Make me mad. Or upset. Or scared. I need to be emotional."

Elphaba sighed, not really liking this task, but she knew it was necessary and so she nodded reluctantly. "Think of Anna," she said. "Think of how close you were when you were younger, and how that all changed. Think about the damage your powers have done – the hurt Anna must have felt upon suddenly being shut out by her sister, whom she loved so much… think about the hurt _you _felt upon having to do that. Think about the day you were told that your parents were gone…"

Elsa was breathing hard, crying, even though she hadn't even realised that herself. Nothing else happened, though.

Elphaba pushed a stick into her hand. "Hold this," she said. "Usually when you hold something, it freezes within a minute at most – especially when you're emotional."

Elsa nodded, tears still coursing down her cheeks as she tried to calm herself. Both girls stared intently at the stick.

"Nothing's happening," Elsa whispered after a while. "It's not freezing."

"Now _make _it freeze," Elphaba ordered. "With your mind. Think about the stick freezing."

Immediately, the stick froze.

Elsa gasped. "I… I don't believe this," she whispered. She dropped the stick, letting out an incredulous laugh. "I can control it! Finally, after all these years, I can really control it!" In an impulse, she threw her arms around the green girl sitting next to her. "Thank you, Elphaba! Thank you so much!"

Elphaba had to laugh at her enthusiasm. "You're welcome," she said. "Glad I could help."

"Now I'll help _you_," Elsa swore, pulling back to look at Elphaba. "Did you have a plan?"

Elphaba bit her lip. "Not really," she admitted.

Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"We can work on that," Elphaba said a bit defensively. "I mean… I was just glad you were willing to help me. I hadn't exactly worked out the details yet."

Elsa had already opened her mouth to say something, but then she heard a noise outside.

She frowned. "Did you hear that?"

Elphaba shook her head, but just then, the noise came again. This time they both heard it.

"Wait here," whispered Elsa. "I'll go and check it out."

Elphaba made to protest, but Elsa shut her up with one look. "They don't know me," she reminded the young witch. "This is Oz, not Arendelle. It's you they're after. If they see you…"

She didn't have to finish that sentence, and Elphaba nodded. Elsa crept to the entrance of the cave, peering outside. When she didn't see anyone, she cautiously stepped outside, looking around her.

And suddenly, there they were.

There were six of them. Men dressed in green and carrying rifles – the soldiers Elphaba had spoken of. Elsa forced a smile. "Good evening, gentlemen," she said, ignoring the nervous flutter in her stomach. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Just then, however, she heard the sound of someone struggling; and when she whipped around, her eyes widened when she saw that two more soldiers had crawled into the cave and dragged Elphaba out of it, pinning her arms behind her back and pressing a rifle into her side.

"Gentlemen," one of the soldiers announced smugly, "it seems like we have found the Witch." His eyes were burning as he looked from Elphaba to Elsa. "And she brought us a friend to play with."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Has it really been only four chapters? I feel like I have been working on this for weeks already... only just one week ago, I hadn't even seen Frozen yet O.O.**

**Caricature of a Witch: you had me cackling with laughter at visions of Gale Force soldiers playing board games with Elphaba and Elsa. :')**

**Musicgal3: I was going to say "You _are _fuzzy and special!", almost in a reflex, only it's kind of weird to call someone fuzzy :3. Let's just stick with "You _are _special" ;).**

**Zelda Rules: Why must there always be a cliff? BECAUSE I'M THEIR QUEEN.**

**Bookworm741: I did read it like that ;). And the thing about men picking their nose was accidental - I was watching bits and pieces of Frozen as I wrote that chapter, and the part came where Kristoff points out to Anna that she doesn't know Hans and he might have bad habits, like picking his nose, because all men do it, and her defense was "He's a prince!" and I was like, "Prince... Fiyero... Glinda... boogers". And that scene was born :P.**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Oops, I guess that was confusing :3. Sorry, my bad. Musicgal3 and I are not actually twins - we just discovered that we have a lot in common and we think alike, even though we live on opposite ends of the world (literally), and one day I said jokingly "You're like my long lost Australian twin sister!" and thus the Dutchtralian twins were born. So we're not really twins, but I love how you said that it explains a lot :).**

**Long AN. You know? On the website where I found the cover pic for this story was also a review about Frozen, comparing it to Wicked. It went like, "Well I was waiting for a Wicked movie, but Frozen is close enough for now - I mean, two sisters, one of them has uncontrollable powers, it gets out of hand at some point and people are coming after her... Let It Go is practically Defying Gravity Part 2." I just thought it was really funny, because that was exactly what I saw when I watched Frozen :). The fact that Kristoff says at some point, "Were you raised in a barn?" only added to that xD.**

**So excuse the lenghty AN... story time!**

* * *

**Chapter 5.**

All kinds of emotions were coursing through Elsa's body. Confusion. Anger. Fear. Determination. The kinds of emotions that usually caused her powers to fly off the handle completely.

Only this time, nothing happened.

This one single time in her life she _did _want something to happen, because it might allow her and Elphaba a chance to escape, her powers stayed completely still. No ice. No frost. No snow. Nothing. Not the tiniest snowflake showed itself.

Elsa bit her lip in worry and frustration, sharing a look with Elphaba. The green girl mouthed something at her.

_Think_.

She realised what Elphaba meant. Her powers were still there… only they were connected to her thoughts now instead of her emotions.

She focused on the soldiers. _First things first. Freeze their weapons._

Immediately, ice covered the weapons, making them useless. The Gale Force soldiers stared at their rifles open-mouthed. Elphaba smirked, then suddenly stepped on the foot of one of the soldiers holding her, making him cry out in pain. She yanked her arms free, grabbed the frozen rifle, and stomped the two soldiers next to her in the head with it.

Elsa focused again on her powers. She found it getting easier and easier. _Freeze them to the floor._

Their boots – or in the case of the fallen soldiers, their bodies – immediately froze to the now icy ground, and the soldiers found themselves unable to move.

Elphaba came to stand next to the queen and together they oversaw the battlefield. "Not bad," Elsa commented.

"Not bad? That was amazing." Elphaba smiled at her. "We make quite the team."

Elsa returned the smile. "Yes, we do. Come on, let's get out of here."

They had only been walking for ten minutes or so when suddenly, Elsa caught sight of a flash of green between the trees. She only now noticed that all the trees around her had frozen as well, caught in her winter powers, and for a moment she felt slightly guilty; but then again, she had only noticed the green flash because it stood out against the otherwise grey and white background, so maybe it wasn't such a bad thing.

She grabbed Elphaba's arm. "Look."

Elphaba squinted, then cursed under her breath. "More soldiers."

"You take the right one, I'll take the one on the left," Elsa said, raising her arms. Elphaba was ready, too, sparkling emerald magic crackling as it played and danced around her fingertips. _We must be quite the sight together,_ Elsa thought, and she smiled a little. Elphaba was right – they made a great team. The Snow Queen and the Wicked Witch.

Someone stepped out from between the trees, and Elsa was ready to release her magic to freeze the guy…

…but then she caught his eyes and the whole world seemed to stop.

Elsa had never believed in love at first sight. She had refused to give Hans and Anna her blessing because she truly did believe that no-one could fall in love in a single day, let alone a single moment. It was something that only happened in love stories and fairytales, but not in real life.

Yet here she was, her ice blue eyes locked with someone else's sapphire blue ones, and she just couldn't look away.

Not until Elphaba suddenly started to sway beside her. That snapped Elsa back to reality.

She quickly grabbed the green girl's arm before Elphaba fell over. "Elphaba?" the white-haired girl asked anxiously. "Are you alright?"

Elphaba shook her head, her face pale. Her gaze was trained on something behind the man.

"I found her!" the man in the green uniform called over his shoulder. "And she's not alone!" His eyes were still on Elsa.

Only then did she catch sight of a second man behind the first one – the one Elphaba was still staring at. He had the same sapphire blue eyes, but while the first man's hair had been brown, this man was blond; and the second man seemed slightly younger, though the age difference couldn't be more than three or four years.

"Elphaba," the blond man breathed, a thousand different emotions crossing his face.

"Fiyero," Elphaba replied, her voice sounding fainter than Elsa had ever heard it.

She tightened her grip on the dark-haired witch. "Elphaba?" she whispered. "Who is that?"

Elphaba swallowed. "Someone… someone from my past," she said, her voice trembling a little.

"And the other one?" Elsa queried. Elphaba shook her head helplessly to indicate that she didn't know.

The blond man stepped forward, holding out one hand. "It's okay," he reassured both girls. "We're not going to hurt you."

Elphaba seemed unable to speak at the moment, so Elsa decided to take charge of the situation. She raised her chin. "You're wearing the uniforms," she pointed out. "The… what was it again? Gale Force? You're with _them_. The men that tried to capture us."

The blond man – Fiyero – shook his head. "We're not trying to capture you," he said. "Either of you."

Elsa narrowed her eyes.

Fiyero looked at Elphaba again, and Elsa could see his blue eyes soften. "I just wanted to find her."

Suddenly, she understood.

She pointed at Fiyero almost accusingly. "You love her."

Elphaba's head snapped up at that. She gazed at Fiyero for a moment, then shook her head and looked at Elsa. "No, he doesn't," she said. "He can't."

Fiyero stepped forward again. "I do."

Elphaba's eyes widened, but she kept them trained on Elsa. "Glinda said he loves me," she whispered. "She said he left her for me. But I don't believe her."

Elsa looked at the man, then back at the green girl. "Elphaba?"

The young witch looked up.

"I think he does," Elsa said quietly.

Elphaba shook her head, then straightened her back. "No, he doesn't," she declared again. She glared at Fiyero and the other man. "And we're not going to let you capture us," she snarled, magic already crackling in her hands once again.

"It's true," the other man suddenly said, finally ripping his gaze away from Elsa to look at Elphaba instead. "He told me all about it on the way here."

Elphaba squinted at the man for a moment. Then her eyes widened slightly when she finally recognised him. "Jermain."

Jermain bowed. "Elphaba."

"Who?" whispered Elsa.

"Fiyero's older brother," said Elphaba, still eyeing the dark-haired man up and down curiously. "We've only met once, when we were still at Shiz… the university I told you about," she clarified. "He came to visit Fiyero before he left on some kind of journey."

"He loves you," Jermain said. "Trust me – take my word for it. He's been babbling about you ever since we left the Emerald City together, and even before that – he couldn't always reach me by letter while I was travelling, but when he could, his letters were full of you."

Elphaba's eyes snapped towards Fiyero again.

Elsa cleared her throat a bit awkwardly. "Maybe, um… Maybe Master Jermain and I," she blushed a little and glanced at him quickly, "should leave you two alone for a few moments…"

"Good idea," Jermain agreed before Elphaba could protest. He offered Elsa his hand, which she accepted with a smile, inwardly cheering at the fact that she didn't have to worry about freezing his hand now that she could finally control her powers.

"So," Jermain said once they were out of earshot. "I know why Fiyero went to look for Elphaba, but I hadn't expected to find her in such lovely company."

Elsa blushed again, making Jermain smile. He bowed again. "Let me formally introduce myself to you," he said. "Prince Jermain Tiggular of the Vinkus."

Elsa curtsied. "Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

He looked shocked. "You're a queen?" he asked her in mild disbelief. "At your age? You can't be much older than twenty!"

"I'm twenty-one," she said. She lowered her eyes, biting her lip. "My parents died in a shipwreck when I was eighteen," she said softly. "At twenty-one years of age, an heir to the throne is old enough to be crowned king or queen in Arendelle. My coronation was a few days ago." Had it really only been a few days? She quickly counted them in her head, but she had been right. Three days, to be exact.

Jermain suddenly looked sad. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"What about you?" she asked him, and he told her about his family and the Vinkus, then about Fiyero and his relationship with Elphaba. Elsa listened without interrupting him once, a soft smile on her face. He had a pleasant voice. Deep, rich and melodious. She liked listening to him.

They exchanged stories for a while, though she carefully avoided the subject of her powers and he did not once mention his deceased fiancée. At some point, he took her hand, making her blush again; and then he kissed it, at which her blush only deepened. She suddenly cursed herself for judging Anna for the fact that she wanted to marry a man she had only just met.

Because quite frankly, she almost felt like doing the same thing right now.

* * *

"Elphaba…" Fiyero slowly approached her, as if she was a wild animal. He held out both his hands, trying to show her that he didn't have any intention of hurting her. "It's just me."

"Exactly," she muttered, which brought a lopsided grin to his face. He knew she must have changed in the years she had been gone, and he had been slightly apprehensive of how different she would be, exactly. The fact that she was as sarcastic as ever somehow reassured him a little. She was different, yes, but she was still Elphaba.

"I missed you," he said.

She snorted.

"Really," he tried to convince her, but she would have none of it. She just shook her head, suddenly looking very tired, and she turned away from him.

"Just go away, Fiyero," she said, her voice almost inaudible. "There's nothing for you here."

"On the contrary," he said. "Everything is here. Right in front of me. All I need to do is convince said everything that she _is_, in fact, everything."

He saw her tense, but she didn't say anything.

Deciding he might be moving too fast for her, he moved on towards a different subject for now. "Who's the girl you've been travelling with?"

That seemed to relax her a little, as he had hoped it would. "Her name is Elsa," she said. "She's from Arendelle. The other side of the mountains. She has powers, winter powers, and she couldn't control them, so I offered to help her."

Fiyero smiled. She really hadn't changed all that much – still always trying to help everyone. "That's very kind of you."

Her shoulders rose in some kind of half-shrug. "She reminded me of myself."

He nodded. "And Glinda?"

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder at him, though she still didn't turn around to actually face him. "What about her?"

"You mentioned her to that girl," he said. "To Elsa. Have you seen her?"

Elphaba hesitated, then nodded. "She found us in Elsa's ice palace," she said, finally turning towards him a little bit. "She said she wanted to see if I was alright, and she came to warn me about the Gale Force searching the Great Kells for me. It's the main reason why Elsa and I left." She sat down on the forest floor, crossing her legs. He tentatively sat down next to her – at a safe distance, but he was planning on changing that soon.

"How did you and Elsa meet?" he asked her, and as he had hoped, she immediately started telling him about the other girl, her sister Anna, her past, everything. He was genuinely curious about Elsa; but his question was mostly meant to make her feel a little more at ease.

When she had told him the entire story, including how she and Elsa had left Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Glinda behind in the ice palace, he asked her what she had been doing since she had left Shiz.

She shrugged. "Helping Animals," she said. "Or I tried to, anyway."

He nodded, sensing that she didn't really want to talk about that time. They were quiet for a while before she broke the silence.

"What about you?" she asked him. "What have you been doing these past years?"

Now it was his turn to shrug. "Joined the Gale Force," he said. "Searched for you."

She tense again, but this time instead of taking a step back, he moved closer to her. He took her hand. "Elphaba," he said. "The only reason I joined them was to find you."

She shook her head, but he went on.

"I never loved Glinda," he said. "I was in love with someone else."

"Don't say it. Don't do this, Fiyero. Just go back to Glinda," she almost begged him. "You're breaking her heart."

"She knows," he said. "And though she was angry, and sad –"

"She should be," Elphaba interrupted, and he nodded.

"True," he agreed. "And I am sorry… but not for breaking up with her. Just for lying to her for so long." He reached for her other hand, grasping both her hands in his as if she would run the moment he let go – which wouldn't surprise him, really.

"Elphaba," he said.

She shook her head again, trying to pull away. "No, Fiyero –"

"I love you."

He was a little unnerved when he saw tears filling her eyes – he had never seen her cry before. She was still shaking her head, however. "Fiyero…" she said, her voice sounding choked. "You can't."

"I do." He reached out to wipe a single tear away from her cheek. "Fae…"

Hearing that old nickname, the nickname he had given her at Shiz and which she had always loved so much… it was just too much. Her tears spilled over and she started crying.

Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. He half expected her to pull away, but instead, her arms locked around his neck and she buried her face in his shirt, clinging to him as she sobbed into his shoulder.

He rubbed soothing circles on her back, smoothing her hair away from her face and kissing the top of her head. He cupped her face and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I love you, Fae," he whispered. "Please believe me."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again. She searched his eyes and what she found only brought new tears. "I… I believe you," she croaked, her voice breaking before she dissolved into tears again, suddenly finding herself unable to stop.

He just held her and whispered soothing words in her ear until she had calmed down a little. She laid her head against his shoulder and he could feel her body trembling against his.

He stroked her hair. "Don't be scared," he whispered. "It's okay, Fae, shh… don't be upset, it's okay. I love you. You won't be alone again, not anymore. I won't leave you. I promise."

"You should leave me," she whispered, and he nodded.

"Probably," he said, meeting her surprised gaze with another of his famous lopsided grins. "But when was I ever known to do the things I _should _do? You know me better than that, Fae."

That actually brought a soft giggle from her lips – not even a chuckle or a snigger, no, an actual _giggle _– and that made him smile as well.

"Don't worry, green girl," he whispered to her, nuzzling her hair, inhaling her scent. "It's all going to be okay."

"You're insane."

"I know."

"And brainless. Completely brainless."

He smiled and touched her chin with his fingers, tilting her head to make her look up at him. He brushed a strand of raven hair away from her face.

Then he leant down and pressed his lips against hers.

She tensed for just a moment; then she melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to press herself closer to him. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world – not just to be kissed, but to be kissed by _him_. The man she had never allowed herself to dream about, because she thought he would never be hers, anyway. And now here he was. He had left her perfect, blonde best friend… for _her_. She couldn't comprehend it, but she loved it nonetheless.

"I love you," he whispered again when they broke away, and she found herself smiling. He was looking at her a bit anxiously and only then did she realise that she hadn't said it back yet.

"I love you, too, Yero," she said, her voice not sounding like her own at all. "Of course I do. How could I not?"

He grinned at her, the happiest and most radiant grin she had ever seen in her life, and then he kissed her again. He kissed her softly at first, but when he felt her sigh against him, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

"Whoa," a voice behind them said.

They immediately sprang apart, both of them panting and looking dishevelled. Jermain was standing a few metres away, smirking. Elsa was right behind him, trying to stifle a smile.

"I think we're interrupting something, Elsa," Jermain said, glancing at the girl behind him for a moment. "Maybe we should come back later." He winked at Fiyero. "I'm happy for you, Yero. My little brother, all grown up," he said, pretending to wipe away tears.

Fiyero stuck out his tongue.

"Or maybe not so grown up after all," Jermain teased him. "You could do much more pleasant things with that tongue, Fiyero."

Fiyero and Elphaba both flushed, and Jermain's roaring laughter echoed in the woods around them as he and Elsa disappeared from view again.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: This chapter is mostly fluff. Elmain fluff (since that is the name you guys agreed upon for the Elsa/Jermain pairing) and Fiyeraba fluff, with some Olaf, Glinda, Kristoff and Anna thrown in for good measure. Kind of a filler chapter, but I need to establish some relationships before moving on.**

**This chapter is for PrincessKadenceOfMusic, because I feel so bad for you right now that you're in quarantine! :( I hope this cheers you up a little bit!**

* * *

**Chapter 6.**

"Elsa?" Jermain asked quietly.

She looked up at him. "Yes?"

He stared into the distance for a moment, clearly hesitating, biting his lip. Then he blurted out, "Have you ever been in love?"

She looked down. "No."

"I have," he said quietly. He kicked at a pebble, watching as it rolled a few metres away, then lay still.

When he didn't say anything else, Elsa asked softly, "What happened?"

He looked away. Then he sighed. "She died."

"Oh…" Elsa lay one hand on his arm, not really knowing how else to comfort him. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly.

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Yeah." He kicked at another pebble. "It was my fault."

"I'm sure it wasn't," she began, but he held up his hand, cutting her off.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, it was. She was my fiancée. We were engaged. I loved her…" He sighed again, heavily, as if he was bearing the world's weight on his shoulders. "I took her hunting one day," he said. "We do that a lot back in the Vinkus, and I took some men with me. She begged me if she could come along. She knew I loved hunting, and she wanted to experience everything I liked for herself – she said it made her feel even closer to me."

His hand were trembling, and Elsa covered them with her own, trying to console him. She hesitated for a moment; then she slipped her fingers into his, squeezing softly. He rewarded her with a sad smile.

"There was an accident," he said, his voice hoarse with unshed tears. "We had spread out in order to catch a pack of deer… and then there suddenly was a bear. It came out of nowhere."

Elsa's throat constricted at the thought and she held her breath. She could guess what came next. She felt a pang of sympathy for both Jermain and his fiancée – it must have been an awful way to die… perhaps an even more awful way to _see _someone die.

"One of my men was dead before we even realised what was going on," Jermain continued, his voice strangely neutral now. "He was a good friend of mine. One of my other men was seriously injured. And she was…" He swallowed. "She was still alive when I found her," he whispered. "That bear was all over her, but we managed to chase it away by shooting it multiple times. Only… only by then it was already too late. She had lost so much blood, and she had wounds everywhere… her arms, her legs, her stomach… her neck…" A single tear slowly slid down his cheek as he stared ahead of him without really seeing anything. "I tried to save her, to take her to a hospital, but she was gone before we even made it out of the woods."

Elsa was shocked. She couldn't even imagine what it must be like to have something like that happen to someone she loved. She imagined being in that situation, with Anna having been attacked and killed by a bear… It made her have to hold back tears of her own.

"Jermain…" she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

He smiled at her. "It's… well, it's not okay, obviously," he corrected himself. "But I… I learnt to live with it. I travelled all over Oz for three years, trying to find myself and deal with her death… I think that helped. I still miss her, every day, and I still feel horrible about it – if I hadn't brought her into the woods –"

"Don't do that to yourself," Elsa said fiercely. "That was not your fault! She asked to come with you, didn't she? She just wanted to be with you. No-one could have seen this coming. Accidents happen, Jermain." A memory flashed before her eyes – Anna jumping on pieces of ice, higher and higher; her own magic striking her little sister; Anna's small body lying on the floor, motionless…

She swallowed, pushing the memories back.

Jermain squeezed her hand softly. She looked up at him; he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Then he suddenly realised what he was doing, and he pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I… um…"

"It's okay," she assured him quickly. "You have nothing to apologise for."

He looked at her so long and intently that she started shifting after a while, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Jermain?"

"Sorry," he said again, but he didn't avert his gaze. "I just…" He shook his head and cleared his throat, finally looking away. "Never mind. This is really… stupid. Ridiculous. I, um… I think we should go back to…"

"Elphaba and Fiyero are probably still busy," Elsa interrupted him. "What were you going to say?" He was right – this _was _ridiculous. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she wasn't even sure why.

He looked back at her. "I… um, I…" He faltered.

"I've never told anyone about her," he said finally. "About my fiancée. Or, well, no-one beside my family. I haven't talked about her in three years."

Elsa smiled at him in what she hoped to be an encouraging way. "Thank you for trusting me."

"You're very easy to trust," Jermain said honestly. "I… I just… felt something… when I looked at you." His face flushed. "I mean… not love, or anything, but… something."

"Yeah," she said, a little breathless. "I felt it, too."

He whipped his head towards her. "You did?"

She lowered her gaze and nodded.

He shifted a little bit closer to her, tentatively touching her cheek with his fingers. "May I, um…" He felt like his face was on fire. She was blushing, too. He mustered up all of his courage. "May I kiss you?" he asked bravely.

The corners of her mouth turned upward. "You may," she conceded.

And he did.

* * *

"So then I said to Fifi, I said, "That shirt does _so _not go with my dress!" Can you understand how he could pick a cobalt blue shirt when I was wearing a sunset red dress? I mean, come on! And so that was the first sign that something was wrong," Glinda decided, slightly out of breath.

Anna smiled politely, but Kristoff, who was trudging along behind the girl, groaned. "You knew something was wrong because he picked a shirt that clashed with your dress?"

"Exactly!" Glinda beamed at him, then turned back to Anna. "So keep this in mind. The moment Hans starts wearing shirts that don't match your dress, it means he's in love with someone else."

"Do you understand that logic?" Kristoff whispered to Sven.

"Not a clue," Olaf whispered back, even though no-one had asked him anything.

Sven snorted in agreement and Kristoff patted his nose. "Yeah, I know, buddy. The snowman is crazy. So is blonde bubble girl." He started singing. "Reindeers are better than people…"

"Actually, it's reindeer," Glinda corrected him.

Kristoff stared at her. "What?"

"Reindeer," Glinda said. "The plural form of reindeer is reindeer. Not reindeers."

Kristoff gaped at the blonde. Anna giggled.

Glinda tossed her hair. "Elphie taught me that," she said proudly.

"Makes sense," Kristoff muttered under his breath to Sven. "I hadn't really expected our blonde princess here to know much about grammar."

"Why is everything still snow and ice here?" Olaf asked, looking around him at the white world. "I thought you said there was no winter in this world… I wanted to see the summer!" He pouted.

Kristoff looked around him. "You know?" he said in mild wonder. "He does have a point. Aren't we in Oz now?"

Glinda looked hesitant. "Yes… Yes, we are," she said. She pointed towards a green spot in the distance. "You can even see the Emerald City from up here. I don't understand… It's supposed to be summer here!"

Anna tentatively touched one of the frozen trees. "Do you suppose that Elsa…" She trailed off.

"Maybe," Kristoff said. He moved closer to her to place his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find her."

She gave him a small smile before turning back to Glinda. "Lead the way," she said. "The sooner we find my sister, the better."

* * *

When Elsa and Jermain returned to the spot where they had left Elphaba and Fiyero, they both smiled upon the sight that greeted them.

"They're so cute together," Elsa whispered to Jermain, who just laughed and nodded.

"I was hoping we'd find her," he said quietly. "Fiyero's letters were… not like him. Not like him at all. Almost melancholic, which was really strange for him. And then when I saw him again, I could see that he had changed. He was more thoughtful, less impulsive, and I have never seen him more passionate about anything than he was about finding Elphaba. She really did change him for the better."

Elsa looked back at the couple. She and Jermain must have been gone for longer than she had thought; the sun had set by now and Elphaba and Fiyero were both fast asleep under a tree. He was lying on his side, using his own arm as a pillow, with his other arm around Elphaba and his face buried in her hair. She was lying with her back against his chest. He had apparently taken off his jacket and given it to Elphaba, because she was using it as a pillow now.

She stirred, sighed, then tried to roll over. Fiyero muttered something indignant in his sleep and pulled her back against his chest. Elsa smiled when she saw that Elphaba now turned towards him, burrowing into his chest and relaxing against him with a contented sigh. She seemed younger somehow, Elsa noted. Softer. With her seemingly permanent frown gone and a small smile playing around her lips instead, she looked like a girl again instead of the fierce and sarcastic woman Elsa had gotten to know.

She was happy for the green girl. She knew what it was like to be alone and without love, and she wouldn't want that for anyone else.

Elsa and Jermain tiptoed around them, settling down on the forest floor with their backs against a tree. Jermain looked at her. "You can go to sleep, if you want to," he said. "I'll keep watch."

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you. You can wake me up later," she offered, "to take the second watch."

He shook his head. "You're a queen," he declared. "Queens don't have to keep watch. I'll just wake Yero. I'm sure he won't mind." He grinned. "Only I don't know if he will be of much help, because I think he's just going to stare at Elphaba all the time instead of at the woods around us."

Elsa chuckled softly. Then she leant forward and kissed Jermain's cheek. "Goodnight, Jermain."

He swallowed, his face glowing. "Goodnight, Elsa."

He watched her as she lay down underneath her own cloak, then created a bed of snow for herself and settled down for the night. He mentally kicked himself. _You're no better than your brother. Stop staring at the girl and keep watch._

Only he found that it was extremely difficult to do so.

It wasn't just that she reminded him a little of his fiancée. Not her appearance, per se; mostly the way she moved and talked, and the connection he seemed to share with her, even despite the fact that he didn't really know her all that well and had only had a single conversation with her so far. There was just something about her that seemed to draw him to her, and it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

He tried to shake Elsa from his mind and focused on the woods instead, listening for any sound that might indicate that someone was around. He didn't hear anything, nor did he see anything out of the ordinary, so he went back to watching Elsa instead.

* * *

"So, how'd you guys meet?" Glinda asked, looking from Kristoff to Anna and back as they walked. "I want to hear a cute love story!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes.

"Glinda," Anna tried, "we're not –"

Glinda waved her away. "Oh, I know! Though I still don't understand why you're not," she muttered. She shook her head. "Just tell me already!"

"I was buying winter clothes," said Anna, sending a slight smirk in Kristoff's direction. "He was buying some stuff as well. Then he got himself kicked out of the store because he insulted the shopkeeper –"

"It wasn't like that!" Kristoff protested.

Anna quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, it was," Kristoff gave in, grumbling.

Anna giggled. "And then I bought him the things he needed," she told Glinda, "and I ordered for him to take me up into the mountains to find my sister, because I thought I could make the summer come back to Arendelle if I found her." She sighed. "Only that didn't turn out so well."

Glinda touched her arm lightly. "Oh, don't worry, Anna!" she said comfortingly. "You two will be fine! If anyone can help Elsa control her powers, it's Elphie!"

"I just don't understand," Anna said sadly. "I don't understand why she couldn't just tell me, instead of locking herself in her room all those years… it would have been so much easier! I could have helped her!"

Glinda shook her head. "She just wanted to protect you," she said. "You knowing wouldn't have changed all that much, Anna. The fact remained that she had dangerous powers and that she could not control them. She was afraid she'd hurt you."

"Why?" Anna wanted to know. "Why was she so afraid to hurt me? She's never hurt anyone else before, has she?"

Glinda cocked her head a little to the side, thoughtful. "Maybe she has."

Anna shook her head. "I don't remember any such thing."

"Oooh!" Olaf tugged at Anna's sleeve, jumping up and down. "Maybe…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Maybe she erased your memory!"

Anna had to laugh at that. "Olaf, her powers are of snow and ice," she said. "She can't erase anyone's memory!"

"It would make sense, though," Glinda mused aloud. "If she has ever hurt anyone before in her life – accidentally, that is – her current attitude would make much more sense. It would explain why she's so determined to keep her powers under control and why she won't go anywhere near you, Anna. You're all she has left and she doesn't want to lose you, especially not because of something she did herself."

Anna chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "That does sound plausible," she admitted.

Olaf tugged at her sleeve again. "What's plausible?"

Glinda squealed and patted his head. "He is so adorable!" she declared. "Can I keep him? Please?"

Kristoff waved for her to go ahead. "Please do," he grumbled.

Anna threw him a look.

* * *

When Elphaba awoke, she felt comfortable, warm and… safe. She wondered for a moment how she could feel safe – after all, she hadn't felt safe in over two years now – but then she realised that maybe the feeling had something to do with the fact that Fiyero was still holding her in his arms.

She craned her neck in an attempt to see his face. He was still asleep, clutching her tightly to his chest. His brow was furrowed and he was muttering something in his sleep, though she couldn't understand what. She reached up to touch his cheek with her fingertips.

"He's been tossing and turning all night," a voice suddenly said behind her.

She jumped, pulling away from Fiyero and abruptly turning. Jermain chuckled upon seeing her shocked face. "Don't worry, I haven't been watching you all night," he said, smirking. "Though from what I _have _seen, you two looked really cute."

Elphaba glared at him, then looked around for Elsa. She discovered the girl in a bed of ice and snow a few metres away.

"I kept an eye on her," Jermain assured her. "She's been sleeping peacefully all night – unlike Yero. I'm surprised he didn't wake you up. At some point I thought he was going to break your bones or something – he was crushing you like you were his last lifeline to sanity."

She looked at him.

"Which you probably are," Jermain added. "He really does love you, you know. And he really did miss you."

Elphaba looked back at Fiyero again. His nose was scrunched up and his hands were clenched to fists.

"I know," she whispered. Shaking her head, she turned back to Jermain. "Did you keep watch all night?"

He nodded. "I was planning on waking Fiyero up at some point, but…" He shrugged. "That just seemed heartless."

"You could have woken _me _up," Elphaba protested, but Jermain shook his head.

"You deserved a good night's sleep after two years on the run," he said. "And besides, there's no telling what Yero would do if he woke up and you weren't there. Don't worry about it, I'm used to sleepless nights." He rose to his feet and stretched. "Could you stay awake for just a few minutes now? I really need to go… you know."

Elphaba sniggered. "Sure," she said. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore, anyway."

Jermain disappeared between the bushes and Elphaba slowly stretched her painful muscles. She turned back on her side to look at Fiyero. He seemed troubled – his fists were still clenched and his face looked pained. Her heart broke at the sight. Had she really done that to him?

She moved a little closer to him and stroked his cheek. "It's okay, Yero," she whispered. She buried her face in his neck, feeling his tense muscles.

"Elphaba?" he muttered. She raised her head to look at him, but his eyes were still closed. He must be dreaming.

"Elphaba…" He scowled and turned away from her, then back again, his fingers reaching for something, but only grasping thin air. Then his fingers found her and he pulled her closer, clinging to her. "No! Fae!" he cried out, and then he snapped awake.

His eyes were foggy and disoriented at first, but then he blinked a few times and she saw him focusing on her. "Fae?" he croaked.

"It's okay," she whispered, cupping his face with both hands. She felt his grip on her tighten.

"I dreamt about you," he choked out. "I always dreamt about you… But you were never there."

"I'm here now," she assured him, and he hugged her tightly, pressing her against his chest. She tucked her head under his chin and closed her eyes, revelling in the feeling of his strong arms around her. He had dreamt about her. She couldn't really believe it. She had dreamt about him, too, but she had always scolded herself for that. _He belongs to Glinda. Blonde, bubbly, perfect Glinda. Not to you. Never to you. You're not that girl._

But apparently, she _was _that girl; and though she couldn't quite comprehend that yet, she still felt like it must be the most wonderful feeling in the world.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Hello peoplez! :)**

**PrincessKadenceOfMusic: Good to hear you're not contagious anymore! I hope you're completely better by now :) may I ask what it was that you came down with?**

**Caricature of a Witch: I'm sure Glinda loves you now :P. And I will, I promise. Just... not yet. *smirk***

**ZeldaRules: Does this chapter satisfy your need for fluff? Oh, don't worry, *waves hand nonchalantly* I will start torturing and killing characters again soon enough.**

**Binks (guest reviewer): Thank you so much, you're too sweet :). Don't worry, you're not the only one - I think most of us writers will recognise the 'not fitting in', 'being different' part, and don't tell anyone, but I'm secretly dreaming of a real life Fiyero sweeping me off my feet as well :P.**

* * *

**Chapter 7.**

"Elphaba?"

The green girl looked up from where she was sitting, lost in thought, only to see Elsa standing there. The queen sat down next to Elphaba and looked at her. "I was just wondering if you had a plan of action from here on," she said.

Elphaba grimaced. "Um… Not really," she admitted.

Elsa chuckled. The two girls sat in silence for a while before Elsa spoke again. "So what's going on between you and this Fiyero?"

Elphaba looked away. "Nothing."

"Oh, come on," Elsa said, grinning. "I saw you two together, and according to Jermain, you have a history. So tell me."

Elphaba sighed, but conceded. She told Elsa about their time at Shiz and about the Lion Cub. "I never knew he loved me," she said finally. "I… I never even _dreamt _he would. I mean, look at me!" She shook her head. "But he says he does, and… and he left Glinda for me."

Elsa chewed the inside of her cheek. "Can we trust him?"

"I don't know." Suddenly, Elphaba panicked. "What was I thinking? I don't know if I can trust him! I haven't seen the man in over two years and there was never _anything _between us! Nothing but friendship! And now I endangered _you_ as well, because suddenly he marches back into my life in a Gale Force uniform and tells me he loves me and I'm like a puddle of green goo at his feet!"

Elsa giggled.

"That's not funny, Elsa!" Elphaba got up and started pacing, pulling her braid over her shoulder and nervously chewing on it. "What if this is a trap? I just told him everything. _Everything_. I just started blurting out things to him and I couldn't stop. Why can I never stop talking around him? What is _wrong _with me?!"

"You're just in love," Elsa said calmly, plucking a twig from her skirt. "That's all."

"I'm the Wicked Witch of the West," Elphaba hissed, whirling around. Her heavy skirts made a swishing sound. "I don't do _love_."

"Oh, Elphaba." Elsa shook her head. "I've seen for myself that you may be a witch, if you insist on calling it that, but you are not wicked and you know it. You're just looking for an excuse to run away again from someone you care about."

"You sound just like Glinda!"

"Well, maybe Glinda had a point."

Elphaba glared at the ice queen. "And what about _you_? Maybe _Anna _had a point, too!" she sneered.

Elsa bit her lip.

Elphaba turned around again, pacing up and down. "We should leave," she muttered. "They could betray us, Elsa. Who says they aren't just going to turn us in?" She made a frustrated sound. "We should leave right now, before –" At that moment, she turned around again and bumped straight into Fiyero.

Elsa laughed softly when she saw the instant change in Elphaba. The moment she looked up at Fiyero, her frown faded and she stared at him; and when Fiyero gave her a lopsided grin, she replied with a slightly goofy smile of her own.

"Hi," he said. "What were you girls talking about?"

Elphaba honestly couldn't remember. "Oh. Um… nothing." She was transfixed by his eyes. It should be illegal for eyes to be this blue, really.

Behind her, Elsa was stifling laughter. "You weren't joking about that puddle of green goo, were you?"

That snapped the green girl out of it and she glared over her shoulder. "I am not," she declared, turning around to face Elsa and placing her hands on her hips, "one of those girls who melt the moment the man they love gives them some attention!"

"I can see that," Elsa said with a straight face.

Elphaba's eyes narrowed and Elsa laughed. "Oh, come on, Elphaba," she said. "There's nothing wrong with a little bit of love!"

"I'm going to have to agree with that," said Fiyero, trying to pull the dark-haired witch closer, but she pushed him away, turned around and stormed off.

Fiyero sighed. "She always did have a temper."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Elsa assured him. "She'll be back."

He looked doubtful. "I hope so."

She did come back, of course. Her hair was in a bun now and she was wearing her cloak and her hat, her broom in her hand – Elsa suspected that it was just a way of composing herself, trying to look like the Wicked Witch of the West so that she could keep up the illusion of being almighty and untouchable. She stomped over to where Elsa was sitting and plopped down next to her.

"I do think you're right when you say that we'll have to get going soon," Elsa told her, wisely avoiding the topic of love for the moment. "Those Gale Force soldiers I froze must be free again by now, and if they find us…" She didn't have to finish that sentence.

Elphaba nodded, fingers toying with her broom. "You're right. Only we're going to have to walk – my broom can't hold four people."

"I was surprised it could even hold two." Elsa reached out for it, closing her fingers around it, and she smiled. "I don't think I thanked you enough for what you did for me, Elphaba. You have no idea what it's like to be able to touch things without freezing them…" She trailed off when the broom suddenly froze.

No. Not again! She stared at the thing for a few moments, then looked up at the other girl, eyes begging her for an explanation. "Elphaba?"

The emerald witch shook her head. "Elsa," she said. "Just because your powers are linked to your thoughts now instead of your emotions, doesn't mean you can control them in all circumstances. When you say you're happy that you can touch things without freezing them, you're still indirectly thinking about freezing things. Your powers respond to that."

"Oh." Elsa blushed, looking a bit crestfallen, and quickly let go of the broom. "I'm sorry about your broomstick."

"It's fine." Elphaba inspected the broom and sighed. "I'm just going to have to thaw it… maybe we can make a fire tonight."

"Or maybe I can try to thaw it," Elsa suggested. She focused on the broomstick, willing it to thaw.

Instead, the entire thing turned to ice.

Elphaba chuckled. "Thanks for trying, Elsa, but I think you should practise a little more."

"Yeah… I guess." Elsa sighed. Then she rose to her feet. "I'm just… going to find Jermain."

"Okay." Elphaba watched as the other girl walked away. She sighed and leant back, placing her frozen broomstick on the floor and removing her hat as well, running her fingers through her hair.

"Fae?"

She turned around to look at Fiyero, who was watching her with a slightly anxious expression on his face.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked her.

"No." She shook her head. "Of course not."

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you," she said irritably. "Stop questioning me."

"I'm not questioning you!" he protested. "Elphaba, I get that you can't trust anyone. I do. You've been on the run for over two years, and I know it's stupid for me to just come over to you and announce to you that I've loved you for all these years and that I want to be with you, when all this time you thought I wanted to kill you."

She kept quiet.

"But you decided to trust Elsa," he said. "And you didn't know her at all. Can't you at least _try _to trust me, too? You know me, Fae. We were friends. It's been a while, but we're still the same people."

"We're not." She sighed. "I'm not. You thought you knew me back at Shiz, and I suppose you did – to some extent, anyway… but you don't anymore, Fiyero. I've changed. A lot."

"Then let me get to know you again the way you are now." He took her hand and tugged it, making her scoot a bit closer to him. "Please?"

"Fiyero…"

"I love you."

She was turning into green goo again and she knew it.

"I love you, too."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer, but she jerked away from him. "Why do you always do that?" she demanded in a high voice.

He looked stunned. "What? What am I doing?"

"This." She gestured towards him, then wrapped her arms around her own waist. "I don't want to trust you," she told him. "I really don't. But I do."

He furrowed his brow.

"I don't want to love you, either. But again – I do." She sighed and looked down at the ground, avoiding his gaze. "You know what I _really _want?" she asked, still not looking up. "To grab Elsa and get out of here, away from you, and make sure you never find me ever again."

His face fell.

"But I can't," she continued, seemingly more to herself than to him now. "I just can't. And I don't know why. I don't know what you're doing to me, but… I just don't have any defences against you. And that scares me, Fiyero. It scares the life out of me. Even if it's not real, even if this is a trap and you just did all this so that you could arrest me… I don't even care. And that's not like me. That's not like me at all."

"Elphaba?"

She looked at him.

"It's not a trap," he said softly. "You do know that, right? I could never do that to you."

She threw her hands into the air. "See? More proof," she groaned. "Because I believe you when you say that. Without a doubt. I think _I _am starting to be the brainless one in this relationship. What did you do, cast a spell on me?"

That made him smile. "I think it's the other way around, you know. You're the one with the magic powers," he teased her lightly.

Now she stared at him in horror. "You think I cast a spell on you?!"

"No!" he hurried to reassure her. "I didn't mean that in the literal sense! Fae, I just love you. It's as plain and simple as that. Can't you just accept that?"

She shook her head frantically. "No." But her eyes were contradicting her words.

Fiyero just opened his arms without saying a word and before she knew it, she had crawled in his lap and wrapped herself around him, clinging to him and burying her face in his shoulder like a small child. She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, but after a while she found herself kissing him again, and he was kissing her back.

"Please don't leave me again," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes. "Those two years were hell without you, Fae. I loved you, even back then, but I never got the chance to tell you that… I couldn't see you. I had no idea where you were. I dreamt about you every night – sometimes about you being captured or tortured, or… or worse…" He swallowed. "Sometimes just about you being there with me… and then I woke up to find that you weren't really there. Being without you… it was killing me inside, Elphaba." He tenderly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek. "Please don't make me go through that again."

She found herself promising that she wouldn't.

"You know?" Jermain's voice suddenly said behind them. "This would make an interesting fairytale. The Brainless Prince and the Green Goo."

Elsa pressed her face into Jermain's back in an attempt to stifle her laughter, but she was failing horribly.

Elphaba glared at the ice queen. "You told him about the green goo?!"

Elsa was nearly crying with laughter now and Jermain wasn't far behind.

"I just promised Fiyero I wouldn't leave _him_ behind," Elphaba grumbled, "but I'm sorely tempted right now to leave _you _two behind."

"You wouldn't," Elsa said, shaking her finger at the green girl. "You still need my ice powers to overthrow the Wizard and that Madame… what's-her-face. Horrible?"

"Morrible," Elphaba corrected her. "Though 'Horrible' certainly suits her better, trust me."

"Whoa." Fiyero was looking dead serious right now, holding up both his hands, and Jermain had immediately sobered as well. "You're planning to do _what _now?"

"Overthrowing the Wizard," Elphaba said matter-of-factly, as if that was something she did every day.

"Have you lost your mind?" Fiyero demanded. "You make it sound like it's the easiest thing in the world!"

"We have Elsa's powers," Elphaba reminded him. "And we have _my _powers. Together we can take out Morrible – I know we can. And once Morrible is gone, Glinda can take care of the Wizard for us."

"If that works," Jermain said thoughtfully, "it's a pretty good plan, actually. But if it doesn't work – if Morrible turns out to be stronger than you two…"

"She's not," Elphaba said confidently. "I couldn't take her alone – or let me rephrase that: I couldn't take the risk. But we can take her together, Elsa and I."

"I don't think…" Fiyero began, but Elphaba cut him off.

"I didn't ask for your permission, Fiyero." She looked at Jermain. "Or yours," she said. "I need to do this. I don't want to put Elsa in danger, and if she doesn't want to do this, then I'm not going to make her; but if she's willing to help me, then we're going to do it."

"And I do," Elsa added. "Want to help her, I mean. After everything she did for me…"

Fiyero sighed, turning back to Elphaba. "At least think of a reasonable plan before you run off," he begged her. "Please?"

Elphaba opened her mouth, but Elsa was quicker. "We're not doing anything until we have a plan, Fiyero," she assured him.

Elphaba shot her a glare, which the white-haired girl ignored. The green girl grumbled, then sighed, giving in. "Alright then. Let's start thinking of a plan."

* * *

"Let's sing a song!" Glinda suggested brightly as they trudged through the mountains.

Immediately, Kristoff started singing. "Reindeers are better than people…"

"Reindeer," Glinda corrected him absently.

He cut himself off and grumbled. Anna went to walk next to him, looking up at him innocently. "Or you could tell us a story."

"A story?" He frowned. "About what?"

"About your friends," Anna said, smirking slightly. "You know – the _love _experts?"

"Love experts?" Glinda's face brightened.

Kristoff opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut short when Olaf begged, "Tell me about summer!"

"Summer…" Glinda sighed dreamily. "I love summer," she said. "There are all these beautiful flowers, the grass and the trees are all green, birds sing in the bright blue sky…"

Olaf bounced up and down. "Ooh, I can't wait to see it!"

"We should tell him," Kristoff muttered to Anna.

She elbowed him in the side. "Don't you dare!"

"Anna, we can't let him live in the illusion forever. He will never see summer until the day he dies." Kristoff sniggered at his own joke, but Anna just glared at him.

"Anna?"

The red-haired girl turned around upon hearing her name, and she gasped when she saw who was approaching. "Hans?"

Kristoff scowled. "Hans," he muttered to himself. "Of course."

"Why is that a problem?" Glinda wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Unless you view Prince Hans as competition…"

"What?" Kristoff spluttered.

Glinda pursed her lips and half-closed her eyes, making kissing noises. "You loooove Anna…"

Kristoff shoved her.

Anna, meanwhile, ran over to where Hans was standing next to his horse. "Hans!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"When you didn't come back, I grew worried," he said. He gestured towards the men standing behind him. "I gathered up some men, some volunteers, to go and look for you. We found an ice palace and we thought you would be there, but you weren't, so we pressed on and came here."

Anna beamed at him. "Oh, Hans, you came to find me?" She kissed him. "You're so sweet!"

"Are you alright?" Hans asked her, and she nodded.

"Oh, yes, I'm perfectly fine," she assured him. She gestured to the people behind her. "Hans, this is Kristoff and that is Glinda. They're helping me find Elsa. Oh, by the way – the reindeer is called Sven and the snowman talks. His name is Olaf."

Hans blinked.

"Hi, I'm Olaf," the snowman said, padding towards the prince, "and I like warm hugs!"

"Elsa created him," Anna explained to Hans.

"Ah." He scratched his head. "I see. Um…"

"Hey, Hans," Kristoff said casually, leaning against Sven. "I'm just curious about something. You're a prince, right? Do you pick your nose?"

"Kristoff!" Anna hissed, face flushing. Hans just looked confused.

Glinda giggled and approached the prince, offering her hand for him to kiss. "Don't mind him," she said to Hans with a small toss of her hair. "Welcome to Oz, Your Highness. My name is Glinda the Good, also known as Glinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, and it's _such _a pleasure to meet you!" She blushed and giggled as Hans kissed her hand. She winked at Anna. "He's quite the catch," she murmured to the other girl. "I see now how you fell in love with him so quickly."

Anna smiled broadly at the blonde.

"But I still don't approve," Glinda added pointedly with a small scowl.

Anna sighed.

"So what exactly happened?" Hans asked, and Anna told him everything that had passed since she had left the palace to look for Elsa.

"You're still looking for her, then," Hans concluded, and when Anna nodded, he said, "I'm coming with you."

Kristoff started to splutter, but Hans held up one hand to silence him. "Anna," he said, taking the girl's hand. "I can't stand not knowing where you are. If you go on alone, you might endanger yourself and I won't stand for that. I will come with you, to protect you if need be, and I will make sure you return to Arendelle safely."

Anna smiled up at him, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Hans," she said. "We really appreciate your protection."

"Oh, yes," Kristoff said with just a hint of sarcasm audible in his voice. "We appreciate it _so much_."

Unfortunately, his sarcasm was lost on everyone but Sven, who just nudged his human friend's arm in a silent expression of sympathy.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I had Christmas dinner at my grandparents' yesterday with the entire family (Mum, Dad, sister, aunt, uncle, two annoying male cousins, grandparents and me) and my cousins were talking about gross things again (farts, burps, the usual) and the oldest one said that his brother always picks his nose and eats it. They did not understand why I was suddenly rolling off my seat with laughter :P.**

**BlueD, like I said, I'd love to hang out with you sometime xD. And Hans will be what Hans really is in the movie... just read this chapter .**

**PrincessKadenceOfMusic: Don't worry, I won't kill anyone in this story! ...Not anyone _good_, anyway. There will be people going down, but none you like. I think. Which doesn't mean that I'm not going to _almost _kill the ones you like...**

**Dd, aww, thank you so much! :) I must say, I kind of shipped Elsa/Hans... right up until the end of the movie. From then on I hated Hans' guts :3. The trolls will probably be in there somewhere, but not yet.**

**Oh, and I almost forgot: kudos to... *goes to look it up* *drumroll* LetItGoAndDefyGravity (oh, I love your username!) for being the 100th reviewer on this story! Virtual Christmas treats for you! :D Wow guys, seriously, over a hundred reviews in only seven chapters? I think that's a new record! Thank you all so much!**

* * *

**Chapter 8.**

"Ready? NOW!"

Elsa let go of Elphaba's waist with one hand and gestured towards the Emerald City, concentrating on calling on her powers. Immediately, the streets started to freeze, snow falling from the sky, a layer of ice covering the roofs.

Elphaba threw her head back and cackled.

"You really are quite scary when you do that, you know," Elsa muttered behind her.

Elphaba smirked at the other girl over her shoulder. "That's the idea. They want a Wicked Witch, they can get one." She leant down over her broom – which had eventually thawed after having it close to the fire for over six hours – and steered it across the City.

"And what is the purpose of this?" Elsa asked.

"To lure Morrible out of the Palace." Elphaba pointed the broom in the direction of the huge, shiny, emerald building. "I could never get to her while she is still inside. I need her to come out."

"And then what?" Elsa shouted over the wind, which was suddenly picking up, roaring in their ears.

Elphaba cursed under her breath. "She's onto us."

Upon seeing Elsa's questioning look, she pointed up at the sky. Grey clouds packed together above their heads, thunder roaring. "She can do weather magic," the green girl explained.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. "So can I." She focused on the sky, willing the storm to clear.

The dark clouds drifted away, being replaced by light grey ones that spread tiny, light snowflakes across the City.

Elphaba smiled. "Impressive."

Elsa pointed down. "Look out!"

The emerald witch yanked the broomstick to the side, just managing to avoid a strike of lightning Morrible sent in their direction. "Freeze her!" Elphaba yelled.

Elsa tried, but nothing happened. "I can't!" She looked around her wildly. "You go left," she instructed the other girl. "I go right."

Before Elphaba could ask what she meant by that, Elsa had already jumped off the broom and onto a large pile of ice she had created, sliding down it to approach Morrible from the other side. Elphaba clutched her broom with two hands, eyes narrowing, the words of a spell ready on her lips.

Elsa tried to freeze Morrible again, but her powers backfired, nearly hitting the white-haired girl herself. She dived to the ground and tried to freeze a patch of ice underneath Morrible's feet, but instead froze the entire Emerald Palace.

She panicked. Her thoughts were flying all over the place, and her powers were following… spiralling out of control again.

Morrible sent a few energy balls at the two girls, but then she muttered a spell and a magical shield formed around her, protecting her from Elsa and Elphaba's attacks.

"Retreat!" Elphaba yelled, and Elsa started running. She tried to keep her powers in check, but every time her foot hit the ground, ice spread out from underneath it. Her breath came in quick gasps and the snow started falling more steadily, quickly covering the formerly green city in a blanket of pure white snow.

By the time she was back in the woods, where Fiyero and Jermain were waiting, she was terrified and trembling all over, her hands shaking.

Jermain hurried towards her when he saw her, but she recoiled. "Don't touch me!"

"Elsa?" His blue eyes were clouded with concern. "What happened?"

"Nothing." She wrapped her arms around herself, clenching her hands to fists. "Just don't come near me," she pleaded. "I might hurt you."

Fiyero looked confused. "But I thought…"

"Elsa!" Elphaba came running from between the trees, skidding to a halt when Elsa jumped backwards.

"Elsa," the green girl said. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" Elsa started pacing. "My powers got out of hand again, Elphaba! I thought I was past this!"

The disappointment and grief that were coursing through her were almost too much for her to bear. She had been so happy, _so happy_, when Elphaba had cast that spell from the Grimmerie for her. She had thought that for the first time in forever, she could start letting people in again. She'd thought she could come near Anna again without having to be afraid that she would hurt her. She had even, dare she say it, gone so far as to imagine herself and Jermain growing closer, maybe even more… she had never dared to dream of that before, but with her powers under control, everything suddenly seemed possible.

And now it was being taken away from her again in the worst possible way.

"Elsa." Elphaba slowly walked forward, her hands in front of her to show Elsa that she wouldn't do anything. "Just listen to me, please."

The white-haired girl nodded slowly.

"You panicked," Elphaba said. "You weren't thinking clearly. That affects your powers. You just need to learn how to control them, Elsa, that's all. I promised I'd help you with that, didn't I?"

"I panicked," Elsa said through clenched teeth, "_because _my powers were spinning out of control!" She gestured wildly. A few ice blue sparks shot off her hands and landed on two nearby trees, freezing them immediately.

Elsa stared at the two clumps of ice that had been trees mere moments ago. "That's it." She turned around with a swish of her cloak. "I'm leaving. I'm sorry, Elphaba, but I can't help you, and… and you can't help me, either. I'm going back to my ice palace."

"Elsa, please!" Jermain said pleadingly. "I don't want you to leave!"

She turned around and took him in. Then she turned back, hiding the tears in her eyes.

"Just forget about me," was all she said.

Then she walked on.

* * *

"Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

The man turned around when he heard someone mentioning his name. In front of him, a little off between the trees, was a woman, about fifty or sixty years old. She was wearing an extravagant, dark green gown, her hair was white and up in some strange, heavily powdered hairdo, and her face was entirely covered in make-up. She looked like a fish.

"That's me," Hans said smoothly, moving closer to the woman.

She smirked. "Don't try your charming tricks on me, Your Highness," she said, wiggling her finger as if she was reprimanding a small child. "That might work on your cute red-headed fiancée, and even on our dearest Miss Glinda, but it doesn't work on me. I know who you are and I know what you really want."

Hans' eyes darkened. "Who are you?" he demanded.

She bowed mockingly. "You may call me Madame Morrible," she said.

Hans just nodded.

"So tell me," Morrible said. "When are you planning on telling your dear little princess that she was nothing more to you than your way to becoming King of Arendelle?"

He was surprised that she knew about that, but he didn't let it show. "Never, of course," he said. "She will believe I loved her right until the very end… until the moment she will die in a tragic accident." He shrugged. "By then we will be married, and I will be left to rule Arendelle. It's as simple as that." He cocked his head to the side. "Maybe I will wait until we have a son," he mused. "I think I'd like that."

Morrible cackled. "I like you, dearie."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment." He eyed her up and down. "How do you know about me?" he wanted to know. "And what do you want with me?"

She made a nonchalant hand gesture. "I'm a sorceress, dearie. I know everything about everyone." She cocked her head to the side. "I well get back at my intentions later," she said. "Right now I'd like to know what you plan on doing about your fiancée's… companions."

Hans shrugged. "They don't pose a threat," he said. "We will find Queen Elsa and escort her back to Arendelle. I have some soldiers waiting there; the moment they catch sight of us, they will shoot Queen Elsa. My men will get out of there before anyone else can reach us, and no-one will ever know that _I _was the one ordering the Queen's execution. Anna and I will marry, she will be crowned Queen of Arendelle, and by then that Kristoff-guy will be long gone, returned to where he came from. As for the blonde girl… well, I'm assuming she'll just stay here in Oz."

"And what about Elphaba?"

Hans frowned. "The girl Elsa teamed up with? What about her? Anna mentioned her, but she's just another girl. Nothing to worry about."

"The Wicked Witch of the West… nothing to worry about." Morrible smirked. "You don't know the first thing about her, do you? Let me tell you something, dearie. Miss Elphaba is one of the most powerful sorceresses in the history of Oz. Aside from that, she also has the ability to see through people. She failed to see through me all those years ago, but she's older now and her skills have been perfected. You're fooling everyone around you, but one slip-up, one wrong move, and Elphaba will know what you really are. And when that happens, you're dead. Possibly literally. Miss Elphaba is fiercely protective of the ones she considers friends."

Hans sighed. "I'm assuming you're telling me all this for a reason?"

Morrible's smirk widened. "I really do like you, dearie. Yes, I am. I want to propose an alliance."

He raised one eyebrow. "An alliance," he echoed.

Morrible's eyes were gleaming. "I will help you become King of Arendelle," she said.

"If?" he prodded.

She locked eyes with him. "If you help me bring down the Wicked Witch of the West."

Hans thought about that for a moment. Then he nodded and accepted the hand Morrible offered him, shaking it. "Done."

Morrible threw her head back and cackled. "Good."

* * *

"Hans?" Anna came running up to him, a bright smile on her face. She linked her arm with his. "Where did you so suddenly disappear to?"

"Oh, I just needed to… you know." He grinned a bit shyly. "I drank too much water this morning."

She laughed. "According to Glinda, we will find Elsa and Elphaba soon. We're nearing the edge of the Kells, and Glinda thinks they're hiding in the woods a few kilometres below. Kristoff agrees with her – he found some footsteps, and they were fresh. Apparently they're travelling with two men."

Hans resisted the urge to sigh. Two more people to get rid of.

"Glinda thinks one of them is her ex-fiancé," Anna rambled on. "You know, the one that's actually in love with Elphaba? I hope it is – Glinda told me so much about him, I'd love to meet him. And I think it's cute that he went to find Elphaba after all those years. I hope Elsa will find a love like that, too, someday." She leaned her head against Hans' shoulder, looking up at him. "A love like ours."

Hans smiled back at her. "I hope so, too, dearest."

Glinda suddenly appeared at Anna's side. "Be suspicious," she hissed in the redhead's ear.

Anna's eyes went wide and she let go of Hans' arm, turning towards the blonde girl instead. "What?"

"He called you 'dearest'," Glinda stated simply. "Fiyero only started calling me 'dearest' after he started thinking and fell in love with Elphaba." She tilted her head to the side, studying Hans through narrowed eyes. "Do you think he might be in love with Elsa?"

"Glinda!" Anna exclaimed. "He's not in love with my sister, he's in love with _me_! We're engaged!"

Glinda wiggled her finger in Anna's face. "Just you wait and see," she said ominously. "The moment you find Elsa, she and Hans will run away together."

"That really cut you deep, didn't it?" Kristoff asked from where he was walking with Sven and Olaf, behind the girls.

Glinda sniffed. "Well, what do you think? He was my fiancé! I loved him! And he was in love with my _best friend_!"

"Yes, well, you can't choose who you're in love with," said Kristoff.

Glinda smirked at him. "Speaking from experience, are we?"

He glared at her, then turned away.

Olaf bounced along next to Glinda. "Why didn't he kiss her yet? I mean, they're in love. You don't have to be a 'love expert' to see that. "

"Who?" Glinda asked, confused. "Elphaba and Fiyero?"

The snowman shook his head. "Kristoff and Anna."

It took her a moment to realise what he was talking about, but when she did, Glinda grinned broadly. "You know what, Olaf?" she said. "I really, _really _like you."

Olaf beamed at her.

* * *

Elsa heard Jermain asking anxiously, "Shouldn't we go after her?"

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw Elphaba placing her hand on the prince's arm.

"Not yet," the green girl said. "Give her some time."

Elsa bit back a scream of frustration. She didn't want time. She didn't want anyone to come after her. She just wanted to be left alone.

She walked for at least half an hour before she finally sat down on a piece of rock, breathing deeply in and out in an attempt to get herself under control. So it was back to this, then. Just her and her powers. Alone, but free.

She could live with that. She'd done it before. She felt bad that she wasn't able to help Elphaba now, after the promise she'd made, but it was just too dangerous.

Just then, she heard voices; and before she could move, people appeared from between the branches.

Her jaw nearly dropped. "Anna?"

"Elsa!" her sister exclaimed, hurrying towards her, but Elsa jumped back.

"Don't touch me!"

"Elsa!" Glinda said enthusiastically, starting to bounce. "Is Elphie here, too?"

"Just half an hour to the east," Elsa replied, slightly dazed. "What –"

"And is Fiyero with her?"

"Y-Yes… but why –"

"Who is the other guy that travelled with you?"

"Jermain," Elsa replied, feeling a stab upon hearing his name. "But I –"

"Come on, guys, let's go and find them!" Glinda immediately ran off, Olaf following close behind.

"Elsa?" Anna asked softly. "Will you come with us?"

The snow queen shook her head. "I can't, Anna! I just… I just can't!"

Anna looked up at her with large, grey eyes. "Please?"

The man behind her placed a hand on her shoulder. "Dearest, if she doesn't want to come along…"

"Elsa," Anna pleaded. "We need your help. If nothing else, then to return summer to Arendelle. Please? I'll stand by you, I promise. I won't let you go through this alone."

Just then, Sven stepped forward and enthusiastically nudged Elsa with his nose, causing her to topple over. Kristoff quickly moved to grab her.

"No, don't touch me!" Elsa protested, but before she knew it, he had lifted her up and set her down on Sven's back. He hissed softly and yanked off his gloves to look down at his hands, which were displaying the first signs of frostbite.

Elsa bit her lip, feeling awful. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," he assured her, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to warm them before sticking them back into his gloves. "It'll be fine."

"But I…"

"Let's just go," Kristoff suggested, and the others agreed. Elsa stayed quiet as they walked back the way she had come, towards Fiyero, Jermain and Elphaba.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I can't believe I forgot to do this in my past... um... many... updates... but, thank you all so, so much for nominating me in the Wicked Greg Awards this year! It's my first year on here, and when I signed up I had _never _expected something like this to happen. I must say I was quite proud of myself already for writing so many stories this past year (I've written more Wicked fanfics in one year than all other kinds of stories combined in my entire life!), but this is just... wow. Thank you :).**

**That being said: nominations are closed, but you can vote now, go vote for your favourites! There are so many people on here who deserve it :).**

**You can thank Elizabeth for this chapter, which is actually a donation for the write-more-winter-scenes-to-stop-Elizabeth-from-melting fund. Elizabeth, are you still alive? :P**

**PrincessKadenceOfMusic: Don't worry, he will be. Gna gna. Heheh.**

**Last but not least, I'm going to dedicate this chapter to Elphabalover101; not just for voting for me, even though that list kind of made me almost faint and maybe kind of sort of literally just a little bit cry, but especially because of the message for me you left in the end, because that's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me and I love you for it :). (In a non-creepy way, as usual. Not always, but usual.)**

* * *

**Chapter 9.**

The moment Jermain laid eyes on the white-haired girl, his eyes lit up. "Elsa!"

Elsa looked down and didn't say anything.

Glinda squealed. "Elphie!"

Elphaba winced when she caught sight of her blonde friend. "Glinda."

"Glinda," Fiyero said with a smile at the blonde.

"Fifi!" Glinda beamed at him, then at the man next to him. "Jermain!"

Olaf looked from the two soldiers and the green girl back to the other group of friends and declared, "Olaf!"

Anna and Kristoff laughed. Glinda squealed again. "Oh, Olaf, you're so cute!"

Elphaba rolled her eyes, which the blonde noticed. She glared at the green girl. "Don't do that, Elphie."

Elphaba smirked. "I didn't say anything."

Glinda's eyes narrowed further.

"Elsa?" Anna said softly, approaching her sister, but Elsa shied away from her.

"Don't touch me," she whispered. "Just let me go."

Anna shook her head. "I can't," she said, stepping forward. "You're my _sister_, Elsa. I love you."

Elsa closed her eyes.

"Please let me in," Anna said softly. "I want to help you. We all do."

"You can't help me." Elsa turned around, wrapping her arms around her own waist.

"Elsa," Elphaba began, but the other girl shook her head.

"Thank you for trying, Elphaba," she said. "Trying to help me, I mean. But you can't. No-one can. I'm sorry I can't help you with the Wizard and Morrible, but… but it's just too dangerous."

"Elsa –"

"Just forget about me," Elsa cut her off. She looked at the others, eyes lingering on Jermain for a moment, then shifting to Anna before she turned away and ran.

"Elsa!" Anna wanted to go after her, but Kristoff held her back.

"Anna, it's too dangerous right now."

"She's not dangerous! She's my sister!" Anna struggled to free herself, but Hans placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Anna," he said softly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

She stopped struggling and turned around to look at him. "But she's my _sister_!" she protested.

"Just give her a moment," Hans said. "We'll find her again in a few minutes, I promise."

Anna bit her lip. "Okay."

Hans looked at the forest around him. When he caught sight of a flash of green and gold, he smirked slightly.

"Glinda?" He moved closer to the blonde girl.

She beamed at him. "Yes, Hans?"

"I was just thinking that…" He hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe you and Fiyero should talk… You know, because you didn't part on the best terms, and… and you seemed to be bothered by it still. I think now might be a good time to talk it all out, you know?"

"You know what?" Glinda said, chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "That's a great idea, Hans. Thank you. I think I will."

"You might want to go off into the woods a little bit," Hans suggested. "You know, for some privacy? Don't worry, we won't be going anywhere – we have to wait here for Elsa to come back, anyway."

Glinda nodded. "I'll just take him for a walk," she decided. She looked at him. "Keep an eye on Elphie for me, will you? And Anna, too."

He flashed her his most charming smile. "Of course."

Glinda returned his smile, then skipped off to where Fiyero and Elphaba were standing. "Fifi? Want to go for a walk with me?" She looked up at him. "I think we need to talk for a little bit," she said softly.

His face softened. "Of course, Glin." He kissed Elphaba's forehead and promised her he'd be right back. Then he and Glinda disappeared between the trees.

* * *

Elsa paced up and down a clearing in the forest, mind reeling. The trees around her were frozen to solid ice. Dark tendrils, signifying her panic, were creeping up inside them, weaving through the ice like poison. What was she supposed to do now? She felt horrible for leaving Elphaba alone after she had promised to help her, but the truth was that the green girl was just better off without Elsa. Everyone was better off without her. Including Anna.

Anna… She closed her eyes for a moment. Everything she had ever done had been to prevent her sister from getting hurt again; but the truth was that she _had _hurt Anna by shutting her out.

Still, though. It was better than accidentally striking her with her magic again and freezing her heart.

But she had caused an eternal winter… everywhere. Now not just in Arendelle, but she feared in Oz – or at least part of it – as well. How could she turn that around? Did she even have that power? She remembered what had happened when she had tried to thaw Elphaba's broom. What if that same thing would happen if she tried to thaw Arendelle? What if she froze everyone to solid ice? What if she would only make things worse?

What could she do?  
Just then, she heard a scream, followed by a loud string of curse words, and a flash of emerald green… magic?... lit up the forest in the distance.

Elsa froze. She recognised that colour – she'd seen it dozens of times when she had been practising with the raven-haired witch to try and get her powers under control. It was the colour of Elphaba's magic.

They were in trouble.

She hesitated just a moment before she picked up her skirt and started running back to where she had come from.

When she reached the spot where she had left the others, she stopped, taking in the sight before her. Jermain and Kristoff were holding Elphaba in an iron grip. The green girl herself was struggling to break free, thrashing and screeching at the top of her lungs for them to let her go, but the two men didn't loosen their hold. Anna was standing a bit off to the side, stroking Sven's nose, worried eyes directed at Elphaba. Hans was standing next to her with his arm around her shoulders and Olaf was next to them, uncharacteristically quiet for once.

"Let me _go_!" Elphaba shouted, but Kristoff only tightened his grip.

"Elphaba," he said. "That's exactly what she wants. You have to think about this!"

"There's nothing to _think _about! Just let me _go_! I don't care what she wants, but I can't just _leave _them with her!"

"What happened?" Elsa asked timidly, slowly approaching.

Kristoff opened his mouth to reply, but just then, Elphaba's heel landed on the top of his own foot – hard - and he yelped, his hold on her loosening for just a moment. She immediately wriggled herself free from his grip and lurched forward; but Jermain was faster, grabbing the raven-haired witch again, and Kristoff quickly recovered enough to help the other main to restrain her.

"It's Glinda and Fiyero," Anna said quietly, looking at her sister sadly. "They've been taken captive."

A shiver ran down Elsa's spine. "Taken captive? How? By whom?"

"That woman," said Anna. "Morrible. Glinda and Fiyero had gone for a walk, you know, to talk about what happened between them; and then the Gale Force suddenly showed up, led by Morrible. We heard their screams and Elphaba and the boys tried to get to them, Elphaba even tried to strike Morrible with her magic, but they had horses and they were gone before we knew it. Morrible said that she would let them go if Elphaba turns herself in."

"Which is exactly what I'm going to do if these two _morons _would just let me go!" Elphaba yelled, still struggling.

Elsa was shocked. "You're not turning yourself in! She'd kill you!" she protested.

"That's what we tried to tell her," Jermain said tiredly.

"I don't care!" Elphaba insisted, writhing. "Better me than them!"

"Elphaba, just listen!" Anna tried desperately, but the green girl was beyond reason now.

Elsa stepped up in front of her. "Elphaba?"

The raven-haired witch stopped struggling and looked at the other girl. "Elsa," she said pleadingly. "You told me about your past. You of all people know what it's like to lose someone you love."

Elsa bit her lip and looked down.

"I can't lose anyone else," Elphaba went on. "You understand that, don't you? Especially not them. Please."

The white-haired girl slowly shook her head, raising her gaze again to look at the other girl. "Elphaba…"

"Imagine it not being Glinda and Fiyero," Elphaba interrupted her. "If it were, say, Anna and Jermain that were taken captive by Morrible, and it was you she wanted to surrender… what would you do? If you had to choose between their life or yours?"

Elsa looked into the other girl's desperate eyes. She would rather get herself killed than them, just like Elphaba, and they both knew it.

Elsa lowered her eyes and Elphaba knew she had won.

"Let her go," the snow queen said softly.

Anna's eyes widened. "Elsa!"

"Do it!" the girl snapped, and Kristoff and Jermain both let go of Elphaba.

The green girl took a few deeps breaths, massaging her arms lightly. Then she turned to hug Elsa briefly. "Thank you for all your help," she said. "And… and good luck. With everything." She looked at Anna. "Don't give up on your sister."

Anna shook her head. "Never."

Elphaba turned her gaze to Jermain. "You'll get your brother back," she said, her voice a bit choked. "I promise."

He sighed. "Elphaba, you know as well as I do that my brother is nothing without you," he pointed out gently. "We can think of something. Let's just make a plan…"

"I can't." Elphaba shook her head. "I can't waste any more time. Just… just make sure he gets over it. He'll find someone else to love in time… someone to be happy with. Someone who is not green… or a wanted criminal," she added sarcastically.

Before anyone could respond to that, she mounted her broom and looked back over her shoulder once. "Bye."

With that, she took off.

"We're just going to let her go?" Kristoff asked, a bit bewildered. "Let her fly off to her death just like that?"

"No," Elsa said, turning around. "Of course not." She stared after Elphaba, who was already high up in the air. "I'm going after her."

She couldn't control her powers and that scared her, but this was bigger than all that. This was about someone's _life_. Just this once, she could possibly _save _a life with her powers instead of taking one, and she would. She would do anything she had to. Maybe this time, she could be making good.

Kristoff grinned at her and swung himself onto Sven's back, helping Anna up as well. "We've got your back."

Hans looked about to protest, but Jermain was faster. "We'll go into town to get ourselves a horse," he said. "We'll meet you in the Emerald City?"

Elsa nodded gratefully. "I'll see you all there."

She created an ice slope and jumped, sliding down it, creating more snow and ice to glide on as she went.

* * *

"This is all your fault!"

Fiyero stared at his blonde ex-girlfriend. "What?"

"You heard me!" She pointed a neatly manicured finger in his face. "If you had just stayed with me instead of running off to do Oz-knows-what with Elphie, none of this would have happened!"

"_What_?!" he exclaimed, getting worked up himself now. "Well, maybe if you hadn't meddled with Elphaba's business the way you _always _do with _everyone's _business, this wouldn't have happened either! If you hadn't followed them, Morrible wouldn't even know –"

"Oh, don't be so _stupid_, Fifi! Of course she would know! Morrible knows everything! She has eyes everywhere, and she has magic!"

"Fair enough, but that doesn't make it _my _fault!"

"Yes, it does!"

"Excuse me, _who _exactly dragged me out into the woods to talk? Who separated us from the others, practically begging someone to capture us?"

"You agreed!"

"That's beside the point!"

Glinda crossed her arms and turned away from him, huffing. Fiyero lowered himself onto the cot in a corner of the cell and buried his face in his hands. "Oz, I hope she's smart enough not to come here."

Glinda snorted, a sound so unladylike – and so un-Glinda-like – that it made Fiyero look up. "See? That just proves you don't really know her. At all. You left me for someone you barely even know!"

"Are we going to do this _again_?! I thought you said you understand!"

"I do! I don't! I… Whatever, Fiyero." She huffed again. "My point is that if you would _really _know Elphie, you'd also know that she would never, _ever _be smart when it comes to the ones she loves. She's coming. And she won't have a plan. She's going to turn herself in, just like that, to save us both."

Fiyero blanched.

"And that, my dearest Fifi," Glinda said, yanking a hairpin from her bun and pushing it into the lock of the cell door, "is why we have to get out of here before she arrives."

He watched her for a few long, long moments before he spoke again. "You really have no idea how to pick a lock, do you?"

Glinda just kept on poking into the lock with the hairpin almost desperately. "I've seen Elphie do it," she protested in a high voice. "Surely it can't be that hard?"

Fiyero sighed and let himself fall back onto the cot.

"We should never have walked away," he muttered. "You were right in that we needed to talk, but we could've done that at the edge of the clearing or something. We didn't have to go for an actual _walk_, away from all the others."

Glinda bristled and straightened her back menacingly. "Now wait a clock-tick. Are you blaming me now for taking you on a walk?" she demanded. "If you're going to play the blame game, then blame Hans – he's the one that suggested we talk and he's also the one that suggested we take a walk together!"

Fiyero sat up straight, suddenly alert. "Hans suggested that?"

She huffed and nodded. "And I thought it was a good idea. Oh my Oz, you're right! It _is _my fault!" she wailed, but Fiyero wasn't paying attention anymore.

"Hans suggested it," he muttered, rising to his feet and starting to pace the length of their cell. "Glin… Why would he do such a thing?"

"Um… because he was trying to help?" She waved one hand in the air impatiently, but then her baby blue eyes grew wide. "Wait. You think he _knew_?"

"I think the timing is suspicious," Fiyero corrected her. "I mean, think about it – Hans suggests you and I take a walk, and minutes after we set out to do just that, the Gale Force jumps out from between the trees. How did they know we were there? How did they know that you and I would be there?"

Glinda shrugged. "I think you're being a bit paranoid now," she said. "Maybe the Gale Force were just there coincidentally."

Fiyero scoffed. "And Morrible leading them was a coincidence, too?"

"Maybe." Glinda hesitated. "Or, well… maybe they found out where we were somehow, and they were just waiting for some of us to get separated from the others so that they could capture us…"

Fiyero shook his head. "Glinda, that doesn't make any sense," he said. "Morrible wouldn't stay out there in the cold waiting for something that might never happen. She knew we were guarded and she probably suspected that it would be kind of hard to separate us. We needed a push… a push that Hans gave us. Yes, I'm suspicious. I think he works with her."

Glinda actually giggled. "Oh, Fifi, you can be so silly at times!" She shook her head. "Hans, working with Morrible? Of course not. He's Anna's fiancé. He's from Arendelle – or the Southern Isles, whatever… my point is that he's not from Oz. He doesn't even know Morrible. And besides," she sniffed haughtily and tossed her hair, "he's cute."

Fiyero stared at her in exasperation. "So he can't be evil because he's cute?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Glinda nodded happily. "Finally, he gets it," she sighed.

Fiyero closed his eyes for a moment, trying to compose himself. "Never mind," he said, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to ward off an impending headache. "Just… never mind." He'd deal with Hans himself. "It doesn't matter what happened. We just have to find some way to escape before Elphaba gets here."

"How?" Glinda asked, sighing dramatically.

Fiyero rolled his eyes and extended his hand towards her. "Give me that hairpin."

* * *

**Also, a very happy new year to all of you! :) Tomorrow will be really weird for me. It'd be like:**

**2 pm - send Carlie (vinkunwildflowerqueen) a Twitter message to wish her a happy new year (she lives in Australia)**

**3 pm - send Elizabeth (musicgal3) a Twitter message to wish her a happy new year (she lives in another part of Australia)**

**midnight - send Xanne-Li (Faeyero Tiggular) a Whatsapp message to wish her a happy new year (along with all my other friends) (yay, someone in the same timezone)**

**1 am - send Stephanie (xXStefyXx) a Twitter/Facebook message to wish her a happy new year (because she's in the UK)**

**And then there's most of you guys in the USA... well you're just going to have to wait until I update next :P.**

**Time difference is a weird thing.**

**Anywho, I'll give you all an update on GoGGP tomorrow, and that will be the last one of the year! :) (I might get inspiration for a New Year's one-shot tonight and put that one up tomorrow as well...)**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: This is quite an eventful chapter...**

**PrincessKadenceOfMusic: I saw it, too! I was all giddy! :D I even had Carlie (Vinkunwildflowerqueen) telling me on Twitter that she thought I was going to beat her this year... like, that's the biggest compliment ever. She's my idol. I still think she's better than I am and I'm convinced she's going to win, but still, it's awesome!**

**Ozzie: Followed you! Haha nearly all the Fanfiction people I have on Twitter now are from Australia xD.**

**Peculiarities: Aww, thank you so much! :) That's a huge compliment!**

**Yeah, I hate Hans, too. And Morrible. Let's freeze them to death.**

* * *

**Chapter 10.**

"Fiyero?"

"Shh." He peered around a corner, then beckoned the blonde behind him. "Come on."

"I believe we were in the middle of a conversation," she said haughtily, heels clicking as she followed him. "Fiyero, I've been thinking about it, and I really don't like the way you have done things. You just barge into my room one day, declaring that you're dumping me for my best friend who is a wanted criminal and on the run and has no idea about your feelings. I mean, what would you have done if she had tried to hex you? Or rejected you? Or if she had turned out to be dead?"

"If she hadn't wanted me around," Fiyero said as he sneaked around a corner, "then I would have left her be, because I respect her too much to stalk her when she doesn't care about me. But if she had turned out to be dead, I would have followed her."

Glinda froze in her tracks. "Are you serious?"

He cast a glance over his shoulder before focusing on the hallway in front of him again. "Deadly."

"But…" Glinda stayed frozen in place for another while, then ran forward to catch up with her ex-fiancé. "You never loved _me _that much!" she protested in a high voice.

He sighed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you." He turned around and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her cerulean eyes. "Look, Glin," he said solemnly. "Don't think I don't care about you. I do. A lot. You're an amazing friend and I suppose that I love you, just… just not like you want me to. You're like a sister to me, but nothing else. Elphaba… she's the one I love, Glin. She's my soul mate. I don't want to hurt you, but I've been lying to you for too long already. I'm sorry. I really am. I'm sorry I dropped it on you like that, I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you… I'm sorry I couldn't love you the way you wanted me to. But you have to understand what she means to me."

Glinda nodded, biting her lip. "I… I understand," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, too, Fiyero."

He smiled at her and squeezed her shoulders. "Come on. Let's go."

"Where are all the guards?" Glinda whispered after a while. "This is way too easy. I mean, I know there aren't many guards in Southstairs, but there's usually a whole lot of them right outside… Where are they?"

"Fiyero?" a voice suddenly called. "Is that you?"

They both turned around, only to find Elsa jumping towards them on giant columns of snow and ice. She slid down one of those, coming to a halt right in front of the duo.

"It is you!" she exclaimed. "Thank… thank Oz. Is that the right expression?" She didn't wait for a reply. "Look, Elphaba is on her way here right now, so we don't have much time. Get out of here. Find Jermain, Hans, Kristoff and Anna – they're on their way here, too. I'll distract the guards and find Elphaba."

Fiyero already started shaking his head, but Elsa snapped, "This is _not _the time to play the hero, Fiyero! I don't want to find Elphaba, only to have to tell her that you got captured again – or worse – whilst trying to rescue her! Just _get out of here_!"

He sighed, but gave in, and he and Glinda ran off.

Elsa lifted herself up and jumped onto the roof of a house nearby, looking around her. She spotted Elphaba on her broom in the distance and gritted her teeth, making her way over to the green girl.

"Elphaba!" she shouted up. "Elphaba, wait!"

The dark-haired witch didn't hear her, and Elsa gritted her teeth and focused. Then she released her power.

She clasped her hands over her mouth in horror as Elphaba's broom froze completely and toppled down with the green girl still on it.

Elsa quickly ran over to where the other girl had fallen down, only to find her in a heap of snow, covered in white flakes of it and groaning.

"I'm so sorry, Elphaba!" Elsa said guiltily as she helped the other girl up. "I was trying to freeze some of the twigs in your broom to slow you down, not to turn it into solid ice! Are you alright?"

"Fine," Elphaba grumbled. She stared at her broom, then glared at Elsa. "Have you got any idea how long it's going to take for me to thaw that?"

Elsa bit her lip. "Sorry."

Elphaba sighed. "It's fine." She raised her chin defiantly. "But, Elsa, you can't stop me from doing this," she declared. "I don't know why you came, but –"

"Fiyero and Glinda escaped."

The green girl faltered. "What?"

"They're on their way back to the others right now," Elsa told her quickly. "We have to hurry – distract the guards and find the others again, before Morrible finds us and –"

"Elsa! Elphaba!" Jermain shouted. He and Hans came storming around the corner on their horse, skidding to a halt in front of the two girls.

"Glinda found us," Jermain said, slightly out of breath. "She's with Anna and Kristoff right now."

Elphaba froze. "And Fiyero?"

"He's taken a horse and is on his way to the Vinkus," Jermain said. "We need our parents' help with all this. He didn't want to leave, he wanted to see if you were okay first, but I promised him I'd take care of you. He'll be fine," he assured Elphaba, who had paled a little. "Don't worry. This is safer for him than staying here to risk being captured all over again. The Vinkus isn't that far away, and once he's there, he'll be safe. Our parents will protect him. They'll be able to help, I think… we'll see." He shook his head. "Anyway, I saw you fall, Elphaba, that's why we came – are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Elphaba lifted her broom. "But I can't fly this anymore."

Jermain looked at Elsa. "Can you make a sled?"

She looked doubtful. "Maybe…" She closed her eyes and focused, scrunching up her nose in concentration. An icy sled appeared in front of them and Jermain whistled, impressed. "Wow."

Elsa blushed slightly.

Jermain cleared his throat. "Um… Will you be okay?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. I can steer this things with my magic… I think," she added hesitantly, but Elphaba squeezed her arm.

"You'll be fine."

Elsa took a deep breath. "I'll take Elphaba back to the others," she said. "You and Hans go back there, too, and we'll meet up again in the forest?"

Jermain nodded. "Good luck." He jumped back onto his horse and he and Hans made to take off, only to be blocked by an entire line of Gale Force soldiers.

More soldiers appeared, holding Glinda and a struggling Kristoff and Anna in their grip. Olaf and Sven were walking beside them, looking around fearfully. Elsa could hear Elphaba softly cursing under her breath.

Then Morrible appeared, looking incredibly smug. "Well, well," she said, looking around her. "Will you look at that! Now we have _all _of them!" Her gaze lingered on Hans for a moment before she turned around to face Elphaba. "Ready to surrender, dearie?" she asked, amused. "Not that it will help you," she added. "Or your friends. I have you, after all. Whether you surrender or not, you're not getting out of here. Especially not on _that_." She nodded towards Elphaba's frozen broom, letting out a cackle.

Elphaba was glowering. "Let them go!"

Morrible shook her head. "Of course not. Miss Glinda here has betrayed the Wizard, as have you, dearie. Master Fiyero is a traitor as well and Master Jermain…" Morrible eyed him up and down. "Well, we'll see about him."

"At least let the others go," Elphaba begged. "They're not even from Oz – they're from across the mountains. They didn't know what they were getting themselves into!"

"No." Elsa's ice blue eyes were cold as she stepped forward, in front of Elphaba. "I knew what I got myself into," she declared, her head held high. "And I don't regret it."

"Elsa –"

"You helped me, Elphaba. Now it's my turn."

Anna stepped forward as well. "I'm not leaving, either."

Kristoff went to stand behind her, one hand on her shoulder. Even Olaf and Sven took a step forward.

"Fine with me," Morrible chuckled. "Capture them!"

"Elphaba?" Elsa whispered. "Can't you use your powers?"

Elphaba shook her head helplessly. "I have no idea what I could do," she said, despair creeping into her voice. "I only know some basic magic, and Morrible is so much more powerful than I am –"

"But I'm here, too," Elsa reminded her. "Didn't you say we could take her together?"

Elphaba hesitated. "Maybe. But… you don't have complete control over your powers, and -"

"You're right, but we have to do _something_!" Elsa watched as the Gale Force pulled Hans and Jermain from their horse, leading them away. Someone grabbed Kristoff, Glinda was already being restrained, and other soldiers captured Sven and Olaf.

The moment they laid hands on Anna, however, Elsa's eyes flamed. "Don't touch my sister!"

Anna looked up at her, surprised. "Elsa?"

"There's nothing you can do to stop me, dearie!" Morrible grinned as she turned around and raised her arms, ready to cast some kind of spell on Anna.

"No!" Elsa flew forward, knocking the old witch over. They both tumbled into the snow. Morrible was on her feet again first, eyes gleaming as she looked down at Elsa.

"That's it," she said smugly. "Your sister is dead."

Elsa's eyes widened. Morrible went to stand in front of Anna, smirking at the young girl as she raised her hands and opened her mouth to cast a spell…

What happened then was a blur to Elsa, it all happened so fast.

Her emotions rose and her thoughts blurred, swirling through her head so quickly that she couldn't control them. All she knew was that she couldn't let Morrible kill her little sister. She felt her power spinning out of control, but she couldn't do anything about it, and she shouted as it broke free.

"NO!"

Her power exploded in a big circle around her. Some of the soldiers fell unconscious; Jermain, Hans, Glinda and Kristoff dove to the ground just in time. Just before her icy powers hit Morrible, however, the old hag stepped aside; and Elsa's eyes widened even further as she saw her power coursing straight towards Anna.

"Anna, no!" she cried, but just then, a black-and-green flurry flew past her and pushed Anna aside just in time.

Elsa just stood there in the middle of the circle, panting. She whirled around. Morrible was lying on the ground, clutching her chest, gasping for breath. The Gale Force was completely dazed. Jermain, Hans and Kristoff climbed to their feet, looking around them in bewilderment; Jermain hurried over to help Glinda to her feet as well, who looked dismayed upon finding several rips in her dress, but seemed alright otherwise.

Elsa spun around again to face Anna and Elphaba. She gathered her skirts and ran over to where they were lying on the ground, falling down on her knees next to her sister. "Anna?"

"I'm okay," the girl assured her a little breathlessly. She turned wide eyes on Elphaba. "You saved me… again!"

Elphaba cracked a smile. "You're welcome."

Elsa surprised everyone present by throwing her arms around Elphaba. "Thank you," she whispered fervently. "You may just have saved my sister's life."

"Are _you _alright?" Anna asked the green girl, who nodded and turned.

"Glin?"

"Fine," the blonde said quickly. "Even though my dress is not."

Elphaba chuckled softly. Jermain approached them, helping Elsa back to her feet.

"What about you?" he asked her softly. "Are _you _okay?"

She bit her lip. Then she realised his hands were on her shoulders and she shied away from him. "Don't touch me."

He looked slightly hurt, but she explained quietly, "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't," he said, shaking his head; but when he took another step towards her, she stepped back again.

"Just… please don't." She closed her eyes. "I can't believe… I almost struck you all with my magic," she whispered. She looked at Anna. "I almost hurt you again…"

Anna looked confused. "Again? What do you mean?"

Elsa shook her head. "Nothing." She turned around. "I have to get away from here. I can't…"

"Hey." Jermain laid his hand on her shoulder, pulling her back softly. "Don't go," he said. "We want to help you."

"You can't!" she snapped. "No-one can! Those trolls said I need to control my powers or I might freeze my own sister's _heart _one day, but I have no idea how! I struck her once. I don't want to do that again. I don't want to hurt anyone again!"

Now everyone was gaping at her.

"Trolls?" Kristoff repeated, suddenly remembering something he had witnessed when he was still a small boy.

"You struck me?" Anna whispered incredulously. "But… I don't remember…"

"The trolls erased your memories," Elsa whispered brokenly, seeing no point in hiding the truth from her sister now. Everyone already knew about her powers, anyway. "I struck you once, by accident, when we were little… I'm so sorry, Anna. I just… I can't." With that, she turned around and fled again.

"Let's get out of here," Kristoff suggested, looking at the Gale Force soldiers, who were slowly regaining their composure. Morrible was scrambling to her feet as well, eyes burning.

"Grab them!" she screeched.

"Run!" Kristoff yelled, and they did.

* * *

They ran until they were back in the woods. Then they collapsed onto the floor, panting, trying to catch their breath.

"Well," Elphaba said sarcastically, putting one hand over her racing heart. "That went well."

Kristoff groaned something unintelligible.

"I… I don't understand," Anna whispered, her large eyes filled with confusion and hurt. "What Elsa said… it didn't make any sense. She never struck me with her magic… I didn't even know she _had _magic!"

"Anna?" Elphaba asked softly, sitting down on her knees in front of the red-haired girl. "While we spent time together, Elsa told me a few things…"

Anna looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Elsa said you knew about her magic," Elphaba said. "But one day, she accidentally struck you with it… you fell unconscious and your parents took you to the trolls to heal you. They did, but they removed all traces of Elsa's magic from your memories, replacing them with normal ones. Elsa mostly stayed in her room from that day on, not wanting to hurt you. She had to learn how to control her powers, but she had no idea how."

"I… I was there," Kristoff said, looking completely baffled. "Me and Sven… we were there. We didn't know that was you and Elsa, Anna… but we saw it happening." He looked at her. "Those love experts I mentioned? My friends? That's them. The trolls. They found me that same day and I've been living with them ever since."

Anna was gaping at him, then at Elphaba. Then she abruptly rose to her feet. "I don't understand any of this," she declared.

"I think…" Elphaba pulled the Grimmerie from her satchel and flipped through the pages. "I think I know a spell to give you your memories back," she offered. "If you want me to."

Anna was still a little dazed, but she nodded nonetheless. "Yes," she whispered. "Please."

Elphaba motioned for her to sit down again. Then she took one of Anna's hands in her own and placed her other hand on the younger girl's forehead before starting to chant.

Anna gasped as images flooded her mind. Memories of her and Elsa ice skating, building snowmen and playing with a sled suddenly changed, involving magic. She remembered playing with Elsa, loving to watch her sister working her magic. She remembered jumping up columns of snow and ice Elsa created. She remembered Elsa yelling for her to slow down, she remembered a flash of magic coming towards her…

"Oh my…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "How… I mean…" She opened them again. "It… it suddenly all makes sense," she whispered. "Elsa's behaviour, why she suddenly shut me out… Why didn't she tell me? Why did those trolls erase my memory in the first place?" She suddenly grew angry. "Do you know how much time we wasted? I could have helped her! We could have been close…"

"She wouldn't have let you," Elphaba said simply. "Not that I claim to know her all that well," she added quickly when Anna looked at her. "I don't. But I know how scared she was that something might happen to you, and I know how she feels. I've been there. She didn't want to be close to you because she didn't want to risk you getting hurt."

Anna wrapped her arms around her own waist. "Oh, Elsa…" she whispered.

Kristoff moved forward to comfort her, but Hans was quicker, kneeling down beside her and helping her to her feet. "It's going to be okay," he said comfortingly. "We'll find her, don't worry."

Anna touched her hair, the one pluck of it that was lighter than the rest, and she gave Hans a watery smile. "I guess I wasn't so wrong after all when I said that I dreamt about being kissed by a troll."

He chuckled softly and squeezed her hand. "You'll be fine."

She twirled the strand around her finger. "Elsa did this…" She shook her head. "I wouldn't have blamed her," she said softly. "It was an accident. She's my sister… I love her, and I know she loves me, too."

"So do we have a plan?" Jermain asked anxiously. "How are we going to get her back?"

"Elphaba?" Kristoff asked suddenly, curious. "What's wrong with your hair?"

"My hair?" She let out a dry laugh. "Are you going Glinda on me now?"

"Hey!" the blonde, who had been playing with Olaf, protested.

"No, I'm serious," Kristoff insisted. "It's… turning white?"

Glinda gasped. "Oh my _Oz_, Elphie, he's right!" She ran over to her friend to grab a strand of her hair, holding it in front of Elphaba's face for the green girl to see.

Elphaba groaned. "Oh, just great. As if green skin didn't look bad enough with _black_ hair. Imagine what I would look like if it were _white_, of all colours…"

Anna looked at the green girl with wide eyes, then touched her own hair again. "Elphaba…" she said softly. "She must have struck you with her magic."

Elphaba looked up, confused. "What?"

"Elsa," Anna elaborated. "When you pushed me out of her way… she struck you instead."

"Okay, here's the plan," Kristoff declared. "Someone stays here to try and find Elsa."

"I'll do that," Jermain offered. "I'll find both Elsa and Fiyero and we'll figure something out."

Kristoff nodded. "Good. The rest of us are going to Arendelle."

Elphaba looked confused. "What?"

"You need help, Elphaba," Anna said softly. "We don't know for sure what she did to you…"

"The trolls," Kristoff said. "They'll help."

Glinda nodded. "Okay. I'll make us all bubbles," she offered. "That'll take us there faster."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Glin –"

"Elphie, you're in a bubble with me." Glinda created one immediately. "Then there's Hans and Anna, and Kristoff and Sven and… Olaf can go with Hans and Anna, too." She created bubbles for everyone, then looked at Jermain. "Good luck."

He smiled at her. "You too."

With that, the bubbles rose off the ground and flew in the direction of Arendelle.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I really like this chapter, both for funny and sadistic reasons. You will probably like... parts of it :P.**

**Mack006: Yes, Jermain is an original character, I created him. Because I'm a hopeless romantic and the one thing I didn't like about Frozen was that Elsa ends up without a guy :P.**

**fangirl-of-books: I fear I have the same ideas as you... *smirks***

**Woodland59: That cracked me up X'D.**

**And yes, I sent Fiyero away. Because where's the fun if Elphaba gets struck by Elsa's magic and he kisses her and they're all happy and safe and healthy again within five minutes?!**

**Also, for those of you who want to hear more about my original story and/or my other thoughts and musings about several subjects, I refer you to my blog: ... okay I've been told the link doesn't show up again . It's this:**

**queenofcliffies**

**dot**

**blogspot**

**dot**

**nl (or com. I think it works with .com, too.)**

* * *

**Chapter 11.**

"Hey, guys!" Kristoff called enthusiastically. "I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

The others just stood and stared.

"Is he talking to those rocks?" Olaf whispered to Anna. "I thought we were going to see trolls. Do trolls look like rocks?"

Anna furrowed her brow. "I… I don't think so," she said, clearly confused.

"He's crazy," Olaf whispered. "Out of his mind. He's lost it. Hans, take the girls and get them out of here. I'll distract Kristoff." He walked over to one of the rocks and patted it. "Well, hello there, Kristoff's family!" he said loudly. "I hear you are _love experts_!"

"Maybe he's right," Hans suggested hesitantly. "Maybe we should go…"

"No," Glinda declared hotly. "We're not going until we find out what's wrong with Elphie."

"There's nothing wrong with Elphie," Elphaba muttered, glaring at her friend. "Elphie is perfectly fine, aside from what you would most likely call a bad hair day."

"No, you're not," Anna said, shaking her head. "What's happening to your hair is what happened to my own hair when Elsa struck me all those years ago; only with you it isn't limited to one strand of it. I have faith in Kristoff," she said confidently. "If he says this family of his can help, then I believe him."

She didn't notice Hans' irritated look or Glinda clasping her hands together and going, 'Aww', very softly.

"Kristoff!" a new voice suddenly chirped and then the rocks started rolling towards the young man, gathering around him and rolling over to reveal that they were, actually trolls.

Glinda held her breath. "Oh my Oz, they're adorable!" she squealed. One of the smaller trolls noticed her and jumped into her arms, and Glinda started squealing even harder. "Oh, just look at you! Hello, cutie!"

"Kristoff brought girls!" one of the trolls suddenly shouted, and before they knew it, the smaller creatures were all over the three girls, inspecting them.

"This one is pretty!" a troll exclaimed, but Glinda held up both hands.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm taken."

Elphaba threw her a look. "Since when?"

Glinda blushed furiously. "Well… since… since a while," she admitted. "I mean… nothing really happened… and nothing _would _have happened if Fiyero had stayed with me, but… a while ago at a ball I met this man, and…" Her face flushed an even brighter shade of pink. "Well, I… like him."

Elphaba shook her head in amazement. Anna just smiled.

"That's wonderful, Glinda."

The blonde beamed at her.

Another troll was examining Elphaba's hair, then her eyes, then her teeth. "Silky hair. Sparkling eyes. Strong teeth. This is the one!" the troll declared.

Elphaba chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry. I'm taken, too."

The trolls frowned for a moment, but then they saw Anna and their faces brightened again. "Ooh!"

Anna held up both hands before they could say anything. "I'm engaged!"

"You see the way Kristoff is looking at her?" a female troll whispered.

"You see the way _she _is looking at _Kristoff_?" another smirked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" a third troll asked.

They shared a look and nodded firmly. Then they turned around to Kristoff again, smirking slightly.

"Guys!" Kristoff exclaimed, backing away slowly. "We're not here for love advice!"

The trolls' faces fell.

"Look," Kristoff said, lowering his hands. "We need to talk to Grand Pabbie."

The trolls stepped back and what seemed to be a rock rolled towards Kristoff, only to reveal itself as being another, older troll.

"Grand Pabbie," Kristoff said, a hint of relief shimmering through. He stepped back a little. "These are my friends Anna, Glinda, Elphaba and Hans, and this is Olaf."

The snowman was staring at Grand Pabbie with his mouth wide open.

Kristoff opened his mouth again to explain the situation, but Anna stepped in. "Grand Pabbie?" she asked softly. "Is it true… Is it true that you know me? Me and my sister Elsa?"

Grand Pabbie's face softened and he sighed sadly. "Yes," he said. "That is true."

"You erased my memories," Anna whispered.

"It was for your own safety," Grand Pabbie replied. "Your sister's powers were – _are _– very dangerous if she doesn't learn to control them."

"How was she supposed to learn?" Anna asked. "She had no-one to teach her… she was scared. She shut me out, and then we lost our parents… she's been all alone for all these years."

"I am sorry to hear that," Grand Pabbie said. "But she must learn the key to controlling her powers. No-one can tell her what that is; it is something she will have to find out for herself."

Anna sighed and nodded.

Suddenly Elphaba stumbled, and Glinda and Hans quickly grabbed her arms before she could fall over.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked anxiously. "Are you alright?"

"Bring her to me," Grand Pabbie said, and Glinda slipped under the green girl's arm to support her as she took her over to where the old troll was standing. Only when she and Elphaba knelt on the floor to level their faces with Grand Pabbie's did Glinda notice that more of Elphaba's hair had turned white now.

"Elphaba," he said, taking her hands in his. "You are in grave danger."

"I'm _fine_," Elphaba grumbled, which earned her a whack in the back of her head from Glinda.

"Elphaba Thropp," the blonde scolded her best friend, "even a blind monkey can see that you are most definishly _not _fine, so would you just shut up and listen to the cute old troll?"

Kristoff and Anna couldn't help but grin at that, and even Elphaba was sniggering as she rolled her eyes at her best friend.

"Elsa's magic has struck your heart," Grand Pabbie continued, causing all their smiles to fade immediately. "Ice is inside your heart now, and if it is not removed, you will freeze to solid ice. Forever."

Glinda gasped loudly. "Oh my Oz!" she wailed. "That is so _horrible_! Elphie, you can't freeze to solid ice! I love you! You're my best friend! Oh, no!" Her eyes widened. "What am I going to tell Fiyero when he comes back?" she demanded of no-one in particular, her voice panicky. "I can't tell my ex-boyfriend that the girl he left me for has frozen to solid ice! He _loves _you, Elphie, don't you dare do this to him! Or me! Elphie? Elphie! There has to be _something_ we can do! Can't you have surgery or something? Have that ice removed? Or… or maybe we can put you in front of a fire to warm your heart up… or cast a spell! Elphie, give me the Grimmerie, I'll cast a spell!"

"Glin-" the raven-haired witch tried to interrupt the rambling blonde girl.

"No, Elphie, I won't hear any of it!" Glinda declared hotly. "You're _not _fine, you're going to freeze to solid ice, did you not hear Grand Pabbie? But you can't! I won't allow you to! I'm going to _kill _you if you do that, you hear me? You are _not_ –"

"Glinda!" Kristoff grabbed the furious and terrified blonde and pulled her back a little, where Anna placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Just let Grand Pabbie finish," Kristoff told Glinda, and she closed her mouth and nodded.

"Can't you remove it?" Anna asked the old troll softly. "Like you did with me?"

"That was different," Grand Pabbie said solemnly. "When you were brought to me, your sister had struck your head and I could help you. This time, however, Elsa struck Elphaba's heart; and that is an entirely different thing. I cannot remove the ice from her heart."

"What?!" Glinda started wailing again. "Elphie, are you going to _die_? You can't –"

"Glinda!" Elphaba snapped. She was feeling weak and faint, which she absolutely _loathed_, and the rambling blonde was not helping. She loved Glinda, but right now her former roommate was getting on her nerves. "Could you please just hold your mouth for a few minutes and listen to what Grand Pabbie has to say? I'm not going anywhere!"

Glinda opened her mouth, but Elphaba was quick to add, "Not _yet_, anyway. Not in the next few minutes, so just be _quiet_, for Oz's sake, okay?"

Glinda closed her mouth again and nodded, her lower lip still trembling. Elphaba turned back to the old troll in front of her.

"Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart," Grand Pabbie said.

Glinda's eyes widened and she started bouncing. "True lo-" She clamped her mouth shut when Elphaba shot her a warning glare.

Olaf, however, seemed to share Glinda's enthusiasm. "True love!" he exclaimed, bouncing all around Elphaba. "Come on, come on, come on! We need to get you back to Fiyero! He has to _kiss _you!"

Glinda giggled. "Oh, I so wish I could keep him!"

"He's right, though," Anna said softly. "Isn't he? Wouldn't a true love's kiss be enough?"

The other trolls nodded enthusiastically and Olaf jumped up and down.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he cheered. "Let's go and find Fiyero!"

Anna looked doubtful. "Maybe we should split up," she suggested. "I mean… Elphaba, you do need to find Fiyero, but… but I also need to find my sister. I'm worried about her. What if something happened to her? She was so upset…"

"You're right," Hans said quickly. "You should find Elsa." With a little bit of luck, Madame Morrible had already taken care of the snow queen by now and Elsa would no longer pose a problem. Now he only needed to get rid of the other powerful sorceress in their small group - which shouldn't be too hard, given her current condition.

"I'll take Elphaba," he said. "I'm experienced at tracking people down – if Glinda could create a bubble for us, I could take Elphaba with me back to Oz and bring her to Fiyero. I'm sure I'll be able to find him, especially from above."

Glinda nodded enthusiastically. "That's an amazifying plan, Hans!" she squealed. "You're so sweet and caring!"

Hans smiled, chuckling inside. _If only they knew._

"I'll go with them!" Olaf said.

Hans frowned. A small complication – but it was only a snowman, after all. He could take a snowman.

"I'll take Anna back to Elsa," Kristoff began, but before he could say anything else, Glinda interrupted him.

"I'm coming with you," she said. "You'll be faster by bubble and I'd have to help you navigate."

"What about Hans and Elphaba?" Anna asked worriedly. "Won't they have trouble navigating their bubble?"

"I know how to fly the stupid thing," Elphaba said, leaning against Sven to keep herself upright. The reindeer turned its head and licked her cheek, making her smile as she stroked his nose. "Glinda told me how. I'm not dead yet – I can navigate an Oz-damned bubble."

Glinda scowled at her friend. "Elphie, language," she reprimanded her. "And don't speak about my bubbles that way."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but then some more strands of her raven hair slowly turned white and she nearly lost her balance, slumping against Sven. Hans quickly moved his arm around her waist to hold her up.

"We have to hurry," he said. "She's getting weaker."

Even Elphaba herself couldn't really protest that – it was true and they all knew it. Instead, she just nodded weakly and allowed Hans to support her as Glinda quickly created a bubble for them.

Before she put the thing into place, she walked over to her best friend and hugged her tightly.

"Come look for me when you're healed again, okay?"

Elphaba nodded and promised she'd do just that, and Glinda smiled at her a bit watery one more time before putting the bubble in place and sending it up into the sky, then turning around to do the same for the others.

Despite the fact that she was freezing cold and weak, Elphaba managed to navigate the bubble towards the Great Kells; but Hans could see that it was taking a toll on her. She closed her eyes every now and then, breathing heavily, and he smirked. This was going to be even easier than he'd thought it would be.

Of course it had happen decently. He would still have to marry Anna in order to become king of Arendelle; and he knew she would never marry him if she knew that he had killed one of her new friends. No, he needed to make sure that this happened in a way that could have been… natural. Not his fault.

Like Elphaba turning into solid ice.

His hand slid in his pocket, feeling the enchanted needle he had in there.

Even Glinda's magical bubbles, as Morrible had told him, could burst.

* * *

"Elsa!"

"No!" She backed away, eyes on Jermain all the while. "Stay there!"

"Elsa," Jermain said pleadingly. "Come with me. Please. We… we need your help."

He wasn't sure if that was true; he figured that the others would find a way to help Elphaba. On the other hand, he also knew that if Elsa would find out that Elphaba was hurt, she would be willing to help.

"With what?" Elsa asked him quietly. "Is my sister okay?"

He nodded. "Anna is fine," he said. "Or… she was, last time I saw her. It's not Anna - it's Elphaba."

Elsa's eyes widened. "What… what about Elphaba?" she asked, already fearing the answer.

Jermain lowered his gaze. "Her hair is turning white," he said. "Anna… Anna things it's because you accidentally struck her."

Elsa stumbled backwards, gripping a tree branch to hold herself up. "No…"

"It's not your fault, Elsa," Jermain said, slowly approaching her. "We all know that. It was Morrible's fault – she's the one that tried to trick you into striking Anna. Elsa, you saved us back there. You know that, right?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and doe-like. "What?"

"Without you, we would never have gotten away from Morrible," he said. He was still moving closer, but she didn't run this time. "We just want to help you, Elsa. All of us. You're not dangerous. Not at all. You'll be fine." He held out his hand for her to take. "Please?"

She hesitated.

"Elsa, I…" He swallowed. "I really care about you," he said, so softly she almost didn't hear him. "You're… you're the first one I could talk to, really talk to, about my fiancée and everything that happened… the first one that understands me. I trust you. And… I care about you. I want to help you."

She remained silent.

"I can't stand to see you like this," he went on. "Please, Elsa, just… just try to let me in."

…_just let me in…_

His voice was so sincere, so gentle, and the look in his eyes was so soft, that she couldn't do anything but believe him. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears, no matter how hard she tried to stop that from happening.

_You'll never see me cry. _So far for that promise.

But it didn't matter anymore. She was tired of all this, tired of being alone, of running away… of being afraid.

And so when he moved closer still and pulled her towards him, she didn't resist. Instead she just flung her arms around his neck and started sobbing into his shoulder.

* * *

"Madame Morrible?" one of the Gale Force soldiers asked her a bit worriedly. "Are you feeling quite alright?"

"Fine," Morrible grumbled. She cast a glance at one of the mirrors that adorned the hallways. It reflected her carefully made up face and her white hair.

"Madame, your hair –" the soldier began, but Morrible cut him off.

"There's nothing wrong with my hair!" she hissed. "Now hurry up and find me those fugitives, Oz dammit! I want them all, dead or alive!"

She cast one more glance in the mirror. She wobbled slightly when a rush of faintness and dizziness washed over her, and she had to grip the wall for support as more of her hair turned white.

She swore under her breath. She was going to need a spell to ward this off.

If such a spell even existed.

* * *

Hans forcibly stabbed the bubble with his enchanted needle, making it burst as Morrible had told him it would.

He smirked as the thing popped and they fell down a couple of metres. Elphaba let out a yelp of surprise, but no damage was done; they both ended up in a heap of snow.

"Wha- What happened?" she asked him, shivering. Her lips were turning blue.

Olaf shook the snow off him and padded over towards the two, helping Elphaba up as Hans did the same. "Are you alright?" he asked in fake concern.

Elphaba nodded faintly. "I think so."

"The bubble just burst," Hans said, shaking his head. He bent down and lifted Elphaba up in his arms. "Don't worry, we'll walk."

He tried to determine his position as he walked, Olaf right beside him. Not deep enough into the woods yet. Hm…

They walked for about half an hour, Olaf chattering on beside them. Then Hans suddenly stopped walking.

"Olaf," he said. He pointed towards his left. "Could you climb those rocks and see what's up there?"

"Of course!" Olaf said immediately, clambering onto the rocks. Hans watched as he reached the top of the cliff. The snowman was positioned on a rock now, and Hans had already seen that there was a deep ravine on the other side.

"I can see the green city in the distance!" Olaf called down. "And trees. Lots of trees. And snow. Lots and lots and lots of snow."

Hans rolled his eyes. "Okay. Now just slide off the other end, it's a quicker way back to us!" he called.

Elphaba struggled weakly in his arms. "No, Hans…" she protested faintly. "There's a ravine…"

He grinned down at her evilly. "I know."

Just then, Olaf gave a yelp when he flew over the edge and down into the ravine.

Horror was written all over Elphaba's face and Hans smirked. "Oh, don't worry, Elphaba. He's a snowman – he'll get himself back together and back up here." He unceremoniously dropped her in the snow, making her shiver even more violently.

"But," he said, poking her with his foot, "by the time that happens, you'll be long gone. Don't worry, I'll make sure your solidly frozen body will get a nice spot somewhere. Maybe in the Emerald Palace? An ice sculpture for Morrible!"

With those words and a triumphant laugh, he walked away from her, leaving her behind in the snow.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Some overemotional reviews, some death threats - a few to me and a lot to Hans... that's how I like it :D.**

**I'd like to take a moment to thank Lydi and XXPay4XtraShippingsXX for reading this story without even having seen Wicked. Lydi, Xanne-Li is right - I love reviews, and thank you very much for yours :). It really means a lot to me that apparently you like this story enough to keep reading it despite the fact that you might not get everything because you don't know Wicked.**

**GeekyChic123, sorry for being unclear on that :3. I'd love to have a twin sister, but Elizabeth is the closest thing I have to one and I've never even met her in real life... but thanks so much for your review ^_^.**

**To those of you that read my blog, thank you so much! I love that you're enjoying it, and it's good to know I'm not sending all my random thoughts out into the void :P.**

**PerlogAnnwyl: Thank you so much! And that idea sounds amazing :).**

**The only thing I'm going to say about this chapter is 'don't kill me, please'. Not yet, anyway.**

***goes into hiding again***

* * *

**Chapter 12.**

"The Wicked Witch of the West is taken care of," Hans announced as he barged into the Throne Room in the Emerald Palace. He glared at Morrible, who was standing on the other side of the room with her back towards him. "And you've better taken care of Elsa, or else…"

"Or else_ what_, Your Highness?" Morrible said tiredly, not even turning around. "You'll magic-spell me? Kill me? As if."

Hans drew his sword.

Morrible sighed and turned around, allowing Hans to see her. He slowly lowered his sword, clearly surprised.

"You… she struck you, too," he stammered.

"Thank you for stating the obvious, dearie," Morrible said sarcastically. "Yes, she struck me, too. My soldiers are looking for her, but this," she gestured towards herself, "kind of complicates things. I can't use my magic to capture Elsa. I'm growing weaker ever minute."

Hans sniggered. "Tell me about it," he said, amused. "That Elphaba girl wasn't much more of a threat once she started to grow weaker because of that frozen heart of hers. It was almost pathetic." He cast a glance at Morrible's white hair. "You know, an act of true love is the only thing that can save you, according to the trolls," he informed her casually.

Morrible didn't say anything.

Hans just grinned. "That pretty much means you're doomed, doesn't it?"

Morrible glowered at him and he laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I didn't expect you to have a loving husband. Or children. Or siblings, or… friends… or –"

"We get it, Your Highness," Morrible snapped, cutting him off. "No true love for me. My only hope is finding Elsa and convincing _her _to thaw my heart."

Hans shook his head. "I don't think she could, even if she wanted to," he said, not even lying. "From what I've heard, Elsa can barely control her powers. She doesn't know how to thaw Arendelle – how is she supposed to know how to thaw your heart?"

"She'll think of something," Morrible grunted. "Because if she doesn't, I'll kill her little friends."

"In order for you to do that, you have to find her 'little friends' first," Hans pointed out. "And you just said your powers are growing weaker every minute, so that's going to be pretty hard." He sang out those last words as if he was having the time of his life irritating Morrible – which, really, he was.

Morrible sighed irritably. "Don't you have anything better to do than telling me things I already know?" she demanded.

Hans held up both hands. "Alright, alright, message taken. I'm going already." He sighed as he turned around, muttering under his breath, "There you are, working with what you think is a powerful sorceress; and in the end you still have to do everything yourself."

"What was that?" Morrible hissed, but he waved her off.

"Nothing, nothing," he said. "I'm going to find Elsa. See you later."

* * *

"Elsa? Jermain? What are you doing here?" Fiyero asked as he dismounted, looking at his brother and the white-haired girl he had brought along.

"Listen, Fiyero," Elsa said breathlessly. Fiyero noticed that she Jermain's arm was firmly wrapped around her waist, and he smiled to himself. His brother had a look on his face Fiyero hadn't seen there in a long time. It was good to see Jermain feeling things again. Happy things, that was. For all these years, he had been sad, deflated; but Fiyero could see the change Elsa had caused in him and he was glad to see that.

Elsa opened her mouth to start explaining something, but just then, several huge, pink-bluish bubbles suddenly appeared in the sky, landing right next to the three.

"Hello!" Glinda chirped. "Here we are again! It's good to see us, isn't it?"

Elsa opened her mouth again, but Glinda waved her off. "No need to respond," she smiled, tossing her hair. "That was rhetorical!"

Fiyero and Kristoff sniggered.

Anna, however, looked worried. "Fiyero? Where is Elphaba?"

Glinda immediately looked panicked when she realised her friend wasn't there. "Oh, no! They didn't get here yet? But how…"

"They should've gotten here," Kristoff said quietly. "They had a head start on us – they went straight here while we first searched the entire Emerald City for Elsa. They should be here by now."

"Unless something happened," Anna said softly, biting her lip worriedly.

"I don't understand!" Glinda cried. "Elphie assured me she could navigate the bubble, and Hans promised me he'd take care of her –"

Fiyero's eyes widened. "_Hans_?!"

Glinda blinked. "Yes, Hans," she said. "He and Elphie travelled by bubble together to find you before she would freeze to solid ice."

Fiyero paled visibly.

"Guys?" Jermain said, placing one hand on his brother's shoulder. "Someone explain to Fiyero what's going on? And to _me _what happened with the trolls?"

Anna and Kristoff quickly explained what happened – Glinda was too panicky to say anything. Fiyero blanched even further when they told him that Hans had promised to take care of Elphaba and the two of them had taken off in a bubble together.

"Glinda, how could you _do _that?!" he yelled at her once he found his voice. "I told you, _I told you _that Hans is evil! He's working with Morrible, you knew that! How could you let them leave together?!"

"I didn't believe you!" Glinda shouted back, her voice trembling. "I thought you were wrong!"

Now Anna was the one that looked like she had been struck. "Hans is evil?" she whispered. "What?"

"Okay, would everybody just calm down for a minute?" Jermain rose his voice above the others' chattering. Surprisingly, they all fell silent.

"Thank you," the prince said. "Now, I understand that you are all very shocked right now and things need to be explained, but right now Elphaba is out there somewhere and if we don't get Fiyero to her soon, she's going to turn into solid ice. So our first priority right now is to find her. Okay?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Elsa, get on my horse with me. Fiyero, you take your own horse. Kristoff and Anna travel on Sven and Glinda, you can take your bubble. Search the Great Kells in particular, but ask around as well – ask people if they have seen either a huge floating bubble or the Wicked Witch of the West. I mean, those things are both likely to have stuck in someone's memory." He looked around. "Let's go."

* * *

"Elphaba!" Olaf shouted, looking around him for any trace of black or green. "Elphaba, where are you?"

After falling down the cliff, it had taken him some time to get himself back together – literally – but eventually he had succeeded. He was now trying to get back up again, to where he had last seen Hans and Elphaba; but he couldn't find the green girl anymore.

He had heard most of the conversation between Hans and Elphaba that had followed his fall, and he understood that Hans had left the green girl all by herself and that he was evil. He did not understand why Hans would do such a thing, but that didn't matter; Elphaba had to go and kiss Fiyero and so Olaf needed to help her.

"Elphaba!" he yelled again.

"Olaf? Is that you?"

The snowman turned around, only to find Fiyero racing towards him on a horse. The prince stopped right in front of Olaf and jumped off the horse. "You were with Hans and Elphaba, weren't you?"

Olaf nodded. "Hans threw me off a cliff," he explained, "and then he left Elphaba in the snow."

Fiyero paled visibly.

"I can't find her anymore," Olaf said sadly, shuffling back and forth. "Hans left, but it took me a long time to get myself back together, and…"

"Come on," Fiyero said urgently. "We have to find her."

Fiyero jumped back onto his horse and stormed off, with Olaf sliding beside him.

"Wait!" the snowman shouted at some point. "I recognise that tree!"

"You do?" Fiyero slowed his horse down. "Which way?"

Olaf turned around a few times, then pointed north. "That way. I think it's not far anymore. Elphaba!" he called, starting to run.

Fiyero kicked his horse's sides again and followed the small snowman. "Fae!" he yelled. "Fae, where are you?"

"Elphaba! Fiyero is here to kiss you!"

"Fae!"

Olaf squinted at the snow all around him. Then suddenly he caught sight of something black and green between the trees and he ran towards it. "Elphaba?"

"O-Olaf?" She was lying in the snow, curled up under her cloak, shivering. Her hair was completely white and her green skin looked almost bluish.

Olaf padded over to her. "Found her!" he yelled over his shoulder before turning back to Elphaba.

Fiyero was there within a few clock-ticks, jumping off his horse and falling down on his knees next to Elphaba. "Fae!"

"I'm f-fine," she protested weakly, but he just gave her a look and took off his coat, wrapping it around her.

"H-how did you f-find me?" Elphaba whispered, still shivering.

Fiyero kissed her forehead. "I'll always find you."

"Would you stop doing that and kiss her already?" Olaf exclaimed in exasperation.

Elphaba chuckled weakly and Fiyero cupped her face and leant down…

"Look out!" Olaf suddenly yelled, and the couple sprang apart – just in time to avoid an arrow from a crossbow. Elphaba scrambled backwards and Fiyero jumped in front of her, shielding her body with his. It was the Gale Force. They had found them.

"If you're going to go after Elphaba and Fiyero, you'll have to go through me first!" Olaf declared, stepping up in front of the two and sticking his nose up in the air.

One of the Gale Force soldiers shot an arrow right through Olaf's body, causing him to fall apart.

"Okay," Olaf muttered, reaching out to grab his bottom before it could run away. "That wasn't as impressive a threat as I thought it would be."

Fiyero rose to his feet, pulling out his sword. "You are not touching her," he growled.

Elphaba's fingers were slowly turning to ice. "Yero…" she whispered.

He cast a worried glance in her direction, feeling torn. If he didn't kiss her, she would freeze; but the moment he moved, he was sure the Gale Force would shoot her. And then him.

The soldiers aimed their crossbows at Fiyero and he tightened his grip on his sword; but just then, there was a flash of bright white and blue. Fiyero winced, shielding his eyes with his arm; and when he lowered his arm, he was looking straight at the two arrows that had been shot at him… only they were caught in solid ice.

He looked to the side, only to find Elsa and Jermain running towards him, Elsa shooting magic from her fingers as she tried to take out the Gale Force soldiers. "Go kiss her!" she yelled over her shoulder as she dodged an arrow herself. "Hurry!"

Jermain drew his sword and jumped forward. One of the soldiers dropped his crossbow and pulled out a sword as well, and soon the two men were battling against one another while Elsa was still dodging the other soldier's arrows.

Fiyero fell down next to Elphaba again, pulling her into his arms and pressing his lips to hers.

They broke apart and Fiyero looked down at her… only to find that nothing at all had changed. Her hair was still white. Her fingers were still frozen and her lips were still a purplish blue.

"What's wrong?" Fiyero asked, starting to panic. "Why isn't it working?"

"Maybe…" Elphaba shivered in his arms. "Maybe it isn't true love."

He stared at her with wide eyes. "You don't love me?"

Even in her current condition, she managed to roll her eyes. "I didn't say that." She burrowed into his arms as he took her fingers and tried to rub some warmth into them. "I meant…"

He scowled as he realised what exactly it was she had meant. "That's not it, Fae." He shook his head. "I love you. I do. More than I've ever loved anyone."

Even as he rubbed her hands, he could feel them growing colder; and his panic flared up again. "Oh, Oz, what can we do?" Suddenly he had an idea. "Fae… is there a spell in the Grimmerie?"

"To… to thaw a frozen h-heart?" She shook her head. "No."

"Not to thaw a frozen heart, but… something else. Something that could help." He was starting to grow desperate and he knew it. "A healing spell, or… or… even a spell to… I don't know, to take someone else's life energy or something like that? Something that could save you?"

She gaped at him, unsure of what she was hearing. "F-Fiyero…"

"I meant what I said, Fae." He was clutching her tightly to his chest. "I love you. If I could save you by sacrificing myself, I would."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them spill over. "Y-you're an idiot," she said, teeth chattering. "And I will k-kill you for it l-later, but it won't work. I can't cast any sp-spells right now."

"I don't understand," Fiyero said, feeling tears beginning to sting his own eyes when he realised that he had no idea what else he could do to save her. "Why didn't the true love's kiss work?"

"Ah," a new voice said; and when they looked up, they found Hans there, sitting on top of a horse, towering above the two Gale Force soldiers that were now flanking him. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I? That Morrible woman turned out to be useful, after all. Right after Elsa first froze Elphaba's heart, Morrible cast a spell." He grinned at the couple in the snow. "True love won't help you now, Elphaba. Nothing will. You're doomed."

He hadn't wanted them to find out. He had wanted to leave Elphaba here in the snow and pretend it had been an accident. Morrible would take care of Elsa for him and he would whisk Anna away, back to Arendelle, where they would get married and he would be king.

He hadn't counted on Morrible getting struck by Elsa's power, however. Or on Fiyero finding out his true nature before he could execute his plan. Anna, however, still didn't know; and he intended to keep it that way. The Gale Force soldiers were on his side – after all, Morrible still wanted Elsa and Elphaba dead – and Hans would make sure every single one of the friends would be killed. With Elphaba, Fiyero, Elsa, Jermain and Olaf all out of the way, there was no-one left who knew about Hans' plans – no-one who cared, anyway – and he would be free to take Anna back to Arendelle with him.

Elsa's eyes widened when she laid eyes on him. She was so distracted that she only saw the Gale Force soldiers moving when it was too late; they grabbed her from behind. She struggled and Jermain lunged forward, but one of the soldiers pressed an arrow to the snow queen's throat.

"Make one wrong move and she's dead."

Jermain froze, and Hans smirked at them all. "See you in hell." He looked at the two soldiers. "Kill them," he said. "Kill them all. Morrible's orders."

They saluted, and Hans urged his horse on and rode off.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Ugh. I had this whole long AN typed out and then it all disappeared ;_;.**

**Okay. Again.**

**1) I loved your murderous reactions (concerning Hans, me, or both of us). Yes, I live up to my name. I have protection, however. Musicgal3 and a chainsaw. Thanks, girl ;). Wuv you.**

**2) Sorry this update took so long; I have to resit one of my exams so I've been studying a lot, and uni starts again tomorrow... priorities, priorities.**

**3) Originally this story would be about as long as GoGGP, which would be about fifteen chapters; but I decided I'm having way too much fun with this, so I'm going to write a bit (or a lot) more.**

**4) Check this out: melon-lord-stuff**

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**Zelda Rules made this drawing of Elphaba with white hair in the snow after Elsa struck her heart. I think it's incredibly awesome, don't you? :) (If anyone knows how to make it small enough so that my Image Manager will stop displaying only a piece of cloak and a bit of sky, let me know. I'd love to use it as the picture for this story.)**

**Furthermore:**

**Musicgal3: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. Hans and Morrible kissing? GROSS. GROSS. GROSS. xD You can kill them, though. Please do.**

**Caricature of a Witch: Now that Frex Hunters song is stuck in my head, only with Hans. Wickedness must be punished! Evil effectively eliminated! Wickedness must be punished! KILL THE HANS!**

**fangirl-of-books: Hunger Games reference! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13.**

"Y-Your Oz-Ozness." Morrible curtsied with difficulty before the Wizard's throne.

The Wizard just quirked an eyebrow at her. "What in Oz happened to you?" he asked curiously.

She gritted her teeth. "Well… our plan s-sort of backfired," she said through chattering teeth. "The snow queen struck my heart with her powers and froze it."

A smirk tugged at the corners of the Wizard's mouth. The temptation to ask her '_Wasn't it always frozen?_' was great, but he resisted it. He had never been too fond of Morrible; she had been useful to him, yes, mostly because of her powers, and also because she was smart – but he had never particularly _liked _her.

Now, however, was not the time for witty remarks.

"Now what?" he asked her instead, and she grimaced.

"I w-will fr-freeze to solid ice," she said, "if I d-don't find a s-spell that turns it around."

The Wizard merely nodded. "Then I suggest you start looking for such a spell," he said drily.

She glared at him.  
"Right after you tell me what else has been going on, of course. I asked you for regular reports, Madame, and you have kept me in the dark about your actions and their consequences for over a day now. So, tell me. A full report, please." He settled comfortable in his chair and looked at her expectantly.

Morrible cursed him under her breath.

* * *

Jermain's eyes flicked back and forth between Elsa and the two Gale Force soldiers. Fiyero was still sitting in the snow, holding an icy cold Elphaba. It seemed like they were lost. Elphaba was too weak to use her powers, Fiyero and Jermain were too far away to kill the soldiers before they could kill Elsa; and if Elsa herself so much as pulled a muscle, they wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

No-one, however – not Jermain, Fiyero, Elphaba and Elsa, but not the Gale Force soldiers, either – had counted on Olaf.

He must have put himself back together somehow, because he suddenly came sliding towards them with a loud howl. He hit the backs of the soldiers' legs, causing them to lose their balance and fall backwards.

Elsa immediately twisted out of their grip and stretched out her hands. Both of the soldiers froze – not to solid ice, but enough to find themselves unable to move.

She turned around to face Olaf and smiled down at him. "Thank you, Olaf."

"I like warm hugs," he hinted and she laughed, then knelt down to hug him. "Thank you."

He grinned at her, but his grin quickly faded when he saw Fiyero and Elphaba. "Elphaba!"

Elsa turned her head sharply and scrambled to her feet, falling back down on her knees next to the green girl. "Elphaba?"

"The kiss didn't work," Fiyero said, his voice trembling. "Morrible cast a spell to prevent me from saving her that way… Please, Elsa, you have to do something."

Elsa looked shocked. "Me?" She bit her lip. "But… but what if I…"

"The w-worst thing you could… could do is to f-freeze me completely," Elphaba reminded her through her chattering teeth. "And – and that's g-going to h-happen soon, anyway."

Elsa still looked doubtful. Jermain knelt down next to her, putting one hand on her shoulder.

"I have faith in you," he said quietly.

"M-me t-too." Elphaba forced a small smile.

Fiyero looked up at the white-haired girl and the look in his sapphire blue eyes broke her heart. "Please?" he whispered.

Elsa took a deep breath. "Okay." She closed her eyes. "Okay. I'm gonna try. But…" She opened her eyes and looked at the other three. "But if it doesn't work…"

"We won't blame you," Jermain assured her. He cast a quick glance at his brother and added, "Any of us. The most important thing is that you try."

Elsa nodded. "Okay." She took another deep breath, then positioned her hands above Elphaba's chest and closed her eyes. She concentrated deeply, imagined thawing Elphaba's heart, slowly, very slowly…

Then Fiyero gasped and Elsa could feel Jermain stiffening beside her. Her eyes flew open. She immediately clasped one trembling hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.

She had completely frozen Elphaba.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry!"

Jermain put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "You tried," he said, trying to reassure her. "You tried your best."

"But it wasn't enough," she said, near tears. "Was it?"

Fiyero was crying, cradling Elphaba's frozen body to his chest, and Elsa had to look away. She buried her face in Jermain's shoulder and started crying as well.

"Elsa?" Anna and Kristoff suddenly appeared from between the trees, the latter leading Sven along.

They both looked confused. "What happened?"

Jermain quickly and quietly explained – with a little help from Olaf – and Anna bit her lip as she sat down in the snow next to Elsa. "Oh, Elsa… Fiyero. I'm so sorry."

"It's my fault," Elsa choked out, and Anna hugged her.

"No, it's not," she told her sister. She tried to get Elsa to look her in the eye. "Elsa, you tried your best. No-one blames you for this. This is Morrible's fault, Morrible's and Hans', not yours."

"I'm… I'm sorry about that, too, Anna," Elsa whispered sadly. "That Hans… wasn't what he made you believe he was."

Anna's face fell a little. "Yes…" She shook her head. "That's not important now, though."

"The trolls?" Jermain suggested. "Can't they help?"

Kristoff shook his head. "Not with this," he said. "Not with a frozen heart. Only an act of true love would help…"

"True love will thaw a frozen heart," Anna and Olaf whispered at the same time. They shared a small smile.

"Love will… thaw…" Understanding dawned in Elsa's eyes. "Love."

She turned towards Anna. "I love you," she said softly. "I mean… despite everything I ever did to you – shutting you out, not being there for you… I do love you. I was trying to protect you… you're my sister, and…"

Anna smiled and hugged her sister tightly. "I know. I love you, too, Elsa. And I forgive you. For everything. I understand why you did it now, and I don't blame you for it."

"Thank you," Elsa said softly.

Anna gave her a look. "Just know that next time I want you to tell me everything," she said sternly. "No more secrets. No more hiding your magical ice powers from me for over a _decade_. Okay?"

Elsa chuckled weakly and squeezed her sister's hand. "Okay. No more secrets. I promise."

She then turned to Jermain, who was watching her intently.

She let out an incredulous laugh. "Jermain, I…" She closed her eyes for a moment. "I think… I could love you," she said honestly. She couldn't believe she was saying this, but it was true. She might love him or she might not; but she was absolutely certain that she _could _easily love him, given the chance. She cared a lot about him. Maybe that would be enough.

Anna chose wisely not to comment on the fact that Elsa had only known Jermain for a few days – not right now, anyway. Her sister would definitely hear more about that later.

Jermain smiled and cupped Elsa's cheek with one hand, leaning forward to kiss her softly.

When they broke apart again, Elsa looked at Anna, then back at Jermain. Anna, reading her mind, placed her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"We're with you," she said softly. "We're here for you, Elsa. We'll stand by you. Always."

Elsa exhaled slowly. She felt Anna squeezing her shoulder and Jermain had wrapped his arm around her waist, steadying her. She glanced at them both again one more time before closing her eyes.

_Love._

_Love will thaw._

_Love…_

She focused on Elphaba, but she also focused on Anna and Jermain, who were both beside her. She remembered the look in Fiyero's eyes whenever he looked at Elphaba. If that wasn't love, nothing was.

_Love will thaw…_

She took a deep breath and concentrated on her powers.

* * *

"Madame Morrible? Elphaba, Fiyero, Elsa and Jermain are trapped. The Gale Force is with them right now and they won't be alive for much longer – if they aren't already dead." Hans grinned as he stepped into the Throne Room and closed the doors behind him before turning around. "In any case, we don't have to worry about… oh."

"Yes," the Wizard said from where he was standing next to his mechanical head, his arms behind his back as he slowly moved around something in the middle of the room, studying it intently. "Oh. That was my first reaction, too."

"You know?" Hans said as he approached the thing in the middle and eyed it up and down appreciatively. "I actually like her better this way."

In the middle of the Throne Room stood something that looked like an ice sculpture. Swishing robes, heavily modelled hair, an outstretched arm and a face contorted in rage and contempt. It was true; Morrible truly did look better as a solid ice sculpture than she ever had as a woman.

"At least now the make-up isn't as noticeable," Hans muttered to himself. "That was really unattractive."

The Wizard snorted a laugh. "Trust me," he said with a booming chuckle, "she was even less attractive _without _all those layers of make-up."

Hans grinned. "Well, she fulfilled her role," he said. "She made sure Elsa got out of the way. Fiyero, Elphaba and Jermain are merely a bonus to me." He shrugged. "All I have to do now is get rid of Anna's new reindeer-loving boyfriend and take her back to Arendelle with me. My work here is done!"

The Wizard nodded appreciatively. "So it is," he said. "Thank you for your services, Prince Hans."

The prince bowed.

"Good luck with the rest of your life," the Wizard added. "And know that for as long as I rule here, you are always welcome in Oz. You have proven us a great service by getting us the Wicked Witch of the West. Finally she's dead, and Oz can continue existing in peace."

Hans nodded. "You're welcome. All the best to you." He bowed again, then left the Throne Room.

* * *

Fiyero was holding Elphaba tightly, but he didn't dare look at her. Instead, his eyes were trained on Elsa's face. The white-haired girl had closed her eyes and scrunched up her nose in concentration, and Fiyero just kept staring at her. He just had a stupid feeling that if he would jinx Elphaba by looking at her, or something.

Anna held her breath and Kristoff, Jermain and Olaf all watched anxiously as the snow queen worked her magic.

And then Elphaba stirred in Fiyero's arms.

Anna started squealing in a suspiciously Glinda-like manner and Elsa's eyes opened immediately… only to find herself looking into Elphaba's chocolate brown ones.

She wasn't frozen anymore.

Anna threw her arms around her sister, still squealing. "You did it!"

"I did?" Elsa stared at the raven-haired witch in front of her in bewilderment.

"You did." Jermain squeezed her shoulder. "I knew you could do it."

Fiyero was burying his face in Elphaba's hair, crying. He kissed her, over and over and over again; up to the point where Anna, Elsa, Jermain and Kristoff all politely looked away, feeling slightly awkward. Not Olaf, though. He practically poked his nose in their faces as he watched them, completely fascinated.

"So that's what true love looks like," he whispered, caught up in the kiss almost more so than Elphaba and Fiyero themselves.

Fiyero finally broke the kiss and just pressed Elphaba to his chest, resting his chin on top of her head. He mouthed 'thank you' at Elsa over the green girl's head.

The snow queen waved him away, a smile on her face.

"That was totally awesome," Anna declared.

Elphaba turned around in Fiyero's arms and threw a grin in Elsa's direction. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elsa replied graciously.

"Okay, so Elphaba is back," Kristoff said. "Now what?"

"Now," Elphaba said, sitting up properly – or as properly as she could, anyway, given the fact that Fiyero kept his arms around her waist, refusing to let her go – "now we're going to do what we should have done a long time ago."

At Elsa's questioning look, she smirked slightly.

"We're going to confront Hans."

* * *

"Prince Hans."

The prince turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Elsa approaching him. "You… You're supposed to be dead!" he cried.

"Surprise," a new voice said from his other side, and he spun around, only to find Elphaba there.

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "And you… you were frozen!"

"And you," a third voice said icily, "_you _are screwed."

He winced upon hearing that voice. "Anna."

The red-haired girl looked at her sister. "May I?" she asked, and Elsa nodded, a smile on her face.

Anna then proceeded to lash out and punch Hans in the face. Hard.

She slowly moved back with all the grace and elegance of the princess she was.

"Now," Elphaba said, emerald green magic lighting up her hands. "Our turn."

Hans quickly whirled around, but on his other side, practically the same picture awaited him – a very angry Elsa with ice blue magic dancing around her fingers.

He suddenly lunged forward and started running; but the two girls were faster. Elphaba unleashed her magic at the same moment Elsa did, resulting in Hans' feet freezing to the ground and his sword flying out of his hand and several metres away from him.

The two girls both came closer, arms outstretched.

"You," Elsa spoke through clenched teeth, "are done with your games. I will _not _stand by and let you use my sister!"

"Really?" Hans smirked despite himself. "Because, you know, I was actually on my way to succeeding in doing so… and you didn't even know I was doing it."

Elsa's eyes narrowed.

"The only reason why I couldn't go through with it," Hans continued, "was because I agreed to work with that Morrible woman." He rolled his eyes. "Well, at least she's out of the way now. She froze, and unlike our dear Miss Elphaba here, Madame Morrible didn't have anyone to kiss her back to health." He chuckled.

Elsa and Elphaba exchanged a look. At least Morrible was gone.

Now they had to deal with Hans.

"Should we kill him?" Elsa asked a bit hesitantly as both girls circled the prince. "I mean… I know he tried to kill _us_, but…" She cast a glance in Anna's direction. The younger girl was standing between Sven and Kristoff. Kristoff had wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she was hugging Sven with her other arm, eyes trained on the two sorceresses and the man she had thought she loved.

Elsa looked back at Elphaba, who understood.

"We don't have to kill him," the emerald witch said. "We'll try to keep this decent, okay?"

Elsa nodded, relief flooding her eyes. "Okay." No matter what this man had done, it remained a fact that Anna had loved him, if only for a short time; and the last thing Elsa wanted was to hurt her sister even more. There were other ways to deal with Hans.

Hans scrambled to his feet and tried to run off. A flash of magic from Elphaba's fingers made him stumble and fall flat onto his face in the snow.

Anna couldn't help the soft giggle that escaped her at the sight.

Hans tried to get up again, but this time it was Elsa who stopped him. She exhaled slowly and focused, narrowing her eyes and stretching her arm in the prince's direction.

He froze completely.

Anna stared at him wide-eyed. "Is he dead?" she asked, her voice trembling a little.

Elsa shook her head. "He'll be back to normal once we thaw him," she said. "Which will be once we're back in Arendelle. We've got some very nice dungeons there… or maybe we should just ship him back to the Southern Isles."

Anna smirked slightly. "He has twelve big brothers," she said, grinning. "I bet they won't be too happy with their little brother going around trying to kill people in order to become king."

Elsa returned her sister's grin. "In that case, we'll let his brothers deal with him."

"So… it's over?" asked Kristoff, his arm still tightly around Anna's shoulders.

"I think so." Elsa turned to Elphaba. "Is it?"

The green girl's face, however, was grim. "Not yet." She pointed towards the Emerald Palace in the distance. "Wizard." Then she pointed at herself. "Wicked Witch."

Fiyero stepped forward. "Fae –" he began warningly.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay." She pointed at herself again. "Not really wicked witch of whom everyone thinks she's wicked." She glared at the Vinkun prince. "Better?"

He laughed and came closer, drawing her into his arms and kissing her softly. "I love you."

That melted her instantly. "Love you, too."

"Woohoo!" they suddenly heard. They turned around and found a bubble floating their way. Glinda was waving at them as she landed, beaming.

"Oh, Elphie, you're back to normal!" she squealed, immediately launching herself onto her former roommate in a hug. "I'm so glad! Fiyero found you, then? The true love's kiss worked? Just terrific. I haven't seen Hans anywhere, or Morrible, for that matter, and…" She trailed off when she saw Hans lying frozen on the ground. Then she turned towards Jermain, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, who were all looking back at her.

She turned back towards Elphaba and Fiyero, frowning slightly. "Wait a clock-tick. What did I miss?"

Elphaba exchanged a grin with Elsa before putting her arm around Glinda's shoulders.

"Nothing, Glin," she said drily. "Nothing at all."

Behind them, Elsa and Anna burst out laughing.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Just wondering... would anyone be interested in joining the Hans Hunters? But then again, we're the Frex Hunters, and the Frozen fandom would probably be creeped out if I posted one of those fics about Hans xD. Well, I could always make it 'The Frex Hunters: Hans' and then we could kill Frex _and _Hans. And Morrible. And the Wizard. Okay, never mind :P.**

**Zelda Rules, everyone loves your fanart ^_^. And yes, I should probably crop the image, but I have no idea how I should do that. I'm a disaster with those kinds of things.**

**Musicgal3: That lame unintentional pun cracked me up xD.**

**PrincessKadenceOfMusic: Hihi, love you too :P. And yes, I know right? FROZEN DVD!**

**PerlogAnnwyl: OMO! *cries with laughter* Olaf and a girlfriend... now I'm thinking of Scrat from Ice Age O.O. I imagine it would be something like that :P. And don't worry, there'll be more Elphaba and Glinda friendship in the upcoming chapters, I think.**

**No, guys, this isn't the end. No, the fluffiness won't last. You know me too well by now *smirk*.**

* * *

**Chapter 14.**

"For the last time," Kristoff said exasperatedly, "Anna and I are _not _getting married!"

The trolls all blinked at him. Then they started protesting at the same time.

"But you're perfect together!"

"Is it because of her fiancé?"

"Or is it because she doesn't like you?"

"Does she think your feet are too weird?"

"Is she creeped out by the fact that your best friend is a reindeer?"

"Or does she think you're too blond for her?"

"Hey!" Glinda exclaimed indignantly, hand flying towards her perfect golden curls. "Nothing against blondness!"

"Nothing at all, dear," Bulda, one of the trolls, assured her cheerfully. "Blonde is fabulous."

Glinda tossed her hair. "I'm just saying."

Glinda, Elphaba, Fiyero and Jermain had wanted to come along to Arendelle to make sure their new friends made it home safely; and so here they were, with the trolls. They were all happy to see that Elphaba was alright again and Grand Pabbie took Elsa aside for a long conversation about her powers. Meanwhile, the other trolls were fussing over Kristoff and Anna, convinced that they just _had _to be together – despite the fact that Anna just came out of a relationship with a possible murderer.

"Look, why don't you just go and bother Elphaba and Fiyero?" Kristoff finally demanded, completely fed up with the trolls' attempts to fix him up with Anna. Not that he didn't _want _to be fixed up with Anna… but he preferred to do it himself. And, you know, more than a day after her previous relationship ended.

"I mean, they've been in love for years already," Kristoff continued. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind you pestering them with songs and kisses and questions about when they're going to be married!"

All the trolls turned to Elphaba and Fiyero and the dark-haired witch's eyes widened. She stepped back almost automatically, holding both hands in front of her as if that would be enough to ward off the dozens of trolls in front of her. "Oh, no, you don't…" she began, but before she had even finished speaking, the trolls were all over her and Fiyero already.

Fiyero was being dragged away from her and the trolls started firing questions at them both.

"How long have you known each other?"

"And how long have you been in love?"

"When was your first kiss?"

"Do you think he's handsome?"

"She's a really beautiful girl – you do tell her that every now and then, don't you?"

"How long have you actually been together?"

"How was your first kiss?"

"Do you want to marry him?"

Kristoff just watched and smirked, leaning back against Sven as he took out a carrot and let Sven bite off part of it before stuffing the other half in his own mouth.

Anna gaped at him, then at Sven, then back at him. "Did you just…"

Sven licked her cheek. Anna shuddered. "You actually just ate a carrot covered in reindeer drool?" she asked incredulously.

Kristoff shrugged. "What does it matter? It doesn't change the taste," he said.

"Ugh." Anna made a face. "That is even worse than picking your nose and eating it!"

He sighed. "I'm going to have to hear that for the rest of my life, aren't I?"

She smirked. "Count on it."

Kristoff laughed as he watched Elphaba and Fiyero being made all uncomfortable by the trolls.

Anna followed his gaze. "Poor Elphaba and Fiyero."

"Better them than me," Kristoff said cheerfully.

Anna folded her arms. "Oh? Is the idea of being fixed up with me _that _bad?" she asked him, raising one eyebrow.

He flushed. "No!" he cried hastily. "No, that's not what I meant! It's just… you were engaged, and… and Hans… and it's just a day… and I mean… and you…"

Anna giggled and patted his arm. "Oh, stop being awkward. I was only joking."

The trolls, meanwhile, had given Elphaba and Fiyero a makeover – they were both wearing long, heavy capes and there were crowns on their heads. The trolls set them down in a large hole, underneath a bow made of branches, and one of the trolls opened a book in front of them.

"Do you, Elphaba," he began, "take Fiyero to be your trollfully wedded husband…"

Fiyero choked. Elphaba's eyes widened in surprise.

"…and do you promise to love him forever, for better and for worse, until death do you part?"

"Whoa." Fiyero held up both hands, looking stunned. "What?"

At the exact same time, Elphaba lifted her chin and said, "I do."

Now _that _caused quite the commotion.

The trolls all started cheering, jumping up and down in enthusiasm. Kristoff choked on a piece of carrot. Jermain could only stare. Anna was grinning broadly and it was hard to say who was squealing louder – Glinda or Olaf.

Fiyero, meanwhile, just stared at Elphaba, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.

One of the trolls closed it for him. "That doesn't look too attractive," he whispered in the prince's ear. "You don't want her to change her mind, do you?"

"Fae?" Fiyero was clutching her hand so tightly it was almost painful. "Are you serious?"

"Yes," she said, looking up at him.

He just kept on staring at her, unable to grasp the meaning of this.

"Yero… I love you," she said simply.

"I love you, too," he replied immediately. "More than anything. But…"

"If you don't want to marry me, that's fine," she began, but he cut her off, pressing his finger to her lips.

He shook his head. "That's not it, Fae," he said gently. "Not at all. I'd love to marry you. But we haven't been together for all that long, really; and not too long ago, you didn't trust me and you tried to push me away…"

She started shaking her head as well. "That was before…" She bit her lip and made a vague gestured. "Before all this," she said. "I just… I do love you. I knew that all along, really. And it's stupid to run away from it."

She ran her fingers through her long hair – which, thankfully, had regained its normal colour after Elsa had thawed the green girl's heart. Fiyero would never, ever think her ugly; but if he was being perfectly honest, he had to admit that he liked her better with black than with white hair. Definishly.

"Oz knows there won't be a soul to find back in Oz that would be willing to marry us," she said with a small laugh. "So… why not do it here?"

He stared at her for a while longer, to the point where it unnerved her.

Then he suddenly let out an incredulous laugh and he grabbed her and lifted her up in the air, spinning her around.

"I love you," he declared, setting her down on her feet and kissing her eagerly. "Oz, Fae, you have no idea how much I love you."

"So the wedding is on?" Anna asked, eyes shining with excitement. Glinda and Olaf started squealing again. Kristoff was just gaping.

"Wait!" Anna cried suddenly. "Elsa will want to see this!"

"Want to see what?" the white-haired girl asked from behind her sister. She approached the group, Grand Pabbie by her side.

"Elphie and Fifi are getting married!" Glinda squealed, and Elsa's eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

"Yes!" Glinda grabbed the other girl's wrist and pulled her to stand between the blonde witch and Anna. "Now shh and pay attention!"

"Fiyero," the troll continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened after Elphaba's 'I do'. "Do you take Elphaba to be your trollfully wedded wife and do you promise to love her forever, for better and for worse, until death do you part?"

"I do," Fiyero replied confidently.

The troll closed his book, smiling. "I now pronounce you husband and wife," he announced. "You may kiss the bride."

And oh, how Fiyero kissed his bride.

* * *

"So…" Elsa fidgeted, playing with the fabric of her dress, avoiding Jermain's gaze. "I guess you're going back to Oz now, aren't you?"

"I guess," he said.

She sighed.

"Unless you don't want me to."

Now her eyes flew up to meet his. "What?"

Jermain took a step closer to her and took her hand in his. "I can stay here," he said. "In Arendelle. At least for a while… if you want me to."

She blushed. "I… I'd like that," she said softly.

He grinned at her. "Good."

He leant forward to kiss her, but they were interrupted by Olaf.

"I love this," he declared, watching them closely. "There's so much _love_."

Jermain grumbled as he reluctantly pulled away. Elsa giggled softly.

"Hey, Elsa?" Anna approached her sister and laid her hand on the snow queen's arm. "If love is the key to thawing things, you know…"

Elsa looked at the younger girl. "Yes…" she said slowly.

Anna gestured around her. "Would you, um… mind… doing something about Arendelle?"

Elsa's eyes widened when she realised that she still hadn't thawed her homeland. "Oh," she said sheepishly. "Um… right. Yes."

She bit her lip. "I hope this works."

"You can do it," Anna assured her. "I know you can. You thawed Elphaba's heart, didn't you?"

"I guess." Elsa took a deep breath and concentrated on her powers.

Suddenly she felt someone slipping a hand into her own and she looked to the side, surprised. Elphaba smiled back at her. "Want some help?"

"Yes, please," Elsa said, relieved. Both sorceresses then concentrated, closing their eyes as ice blue and emerald green magic mixed and flew high up into the air.

"Wow," Jermain muttered, awe-struck.

Fiyero chuckled. "Yeah. It's beautiful, isn't it? I love it when Fae uses her magic."

"I can see why," Jermain said, nodding.

Fiyero looked to the side. "You're staying here, I heard?" he asked. "You're not going back to Oz?"

Jermain sighed. "Fiyero, I… I've been lost for so long," he said honestly. "Since she died… I blamed myself. All these years, I blamed myself, and I was so unhappy. I started travelling around Oz because… because I felt that was a way for me to try to escape what happened – which, of course, didn't work. You can't run away from yourself."

Fiyero squeezed his brother's shoulder.

Jermain smiled when he looked at Elsa. "I'd like to see where this can lead me," he said to his younger brother, eyes still trained on the snow queen. "Maybe… I don't know. Maybe I could be happy again. With her, or without her… but at least she taught me how to feel again."

Fiyero nodded. "I'm happy for you," he said. "And besides," he added sarcastically, "you can do whatever you want. You're not the Crown Prince of the Vinkus."

Jermain grimaced. "Sorry, Yero."

Fiyero chuckled. "It's fine," he said. "It's just…" He sighed. "I'd like to stay here as well, actually."

Jermain looked to the side, surprised. "You do?"

His brother nodded. "Jer… we could never have a life in Oz," he said quietly. "Everyone hates her. All they have to see is an _inch _of green skin and they'll attack her with pitchforks, screaming 'witch!'. We can't live there! She'd never be safe…" He trailed off.

"We could start over again," he said. "Here. Together. Where no-one has ever heard of the Wicked Witch of the West." He sighed. "But I have duties at home, and…"

"Yero." Jermain elbowed his brother in the side. "Mum and Dad will understand."

Fiyero wasn't convinced. "You think so?"

Jermain shrugged. "Write to them," he advised his brother. "Or visit them. Explain them everything."

"And then what?" Fiyero demanded. "They'll say 'oh, of course, son, you can stay in Arendelle with your wife the Wicked Witch of the West! No problem! We'll find ourselves some other heir!' I'm sure they'll be delighted," he said sarcastically.

Jermain chuckled. "Okay. Leave them to me, then," he said. "I'll take care of it. Promise."

Fiyero wasn't convinced, but he nodded. "Okay."

"You did it!" Anna threw her arms around her sister. "Elsa, you did it! You brought back summer!"

Glinda squealed. "Summer!"

Olaf started bouncing. "_Summer!_ Hands down," he said happily, "this is the best day of my life. And," he added as he started melting, "quite possibly the last…"

"Oh, Olaf!" Elsa scrunched up her nose and called for her powers again, this time to create a microclimate of winter all around Olaf, keeping him alive.

Olaf started bouncing again and Anna laughed.

Elsa looked at the others. "Now what?" she asked.

"Now," Anna said, placing her hand on her sister's shoulder, "we're going to bring back our rightful queen."

Elsa gulped.

* * *

A few days later, it was time to say goodbye.

Elsa was in power once more. It hadn't been too hard to convince the people that she hadn't meant to freeze all of Arendelle; with Anna's help, she had explained everything and they forgave her. Maybe the fact that she had brought back summer had helped with that.

Hans had been taken back to his own country to be punished for his crimes. Jermain had teamed up with Kristoff, helping the other man with his ice business. Elsa had named her sister's almost-boyfriend the official royal ice master and deliverer and given him a new sled. Jermain quickly learnt the craft from Kristoff and together they provided the entire kingdom with ice.

The gates had been opened and weren't about to be closed again, for which Anna was extremely grateful. She and Olaf often strode through the streets together, getting to know the people and having fun. Glinda joined them every now and then – the blonde and the redhead had quickly become good friends.

As for Elsa, she could control her powers better now… although she had found out that they still tended to spin out of control when she got very emotional.

Like when Elphaba and Fiyero told her that they had to go back to Oz.

"No," Elsa declared, pacing up and down the room as snow suddenly started falling from the… ceiling. "Elphaba, are you crazy? Those people over there want to _kill _you! You can't go back there!"

"I have to," said Elphaba calmly, her fingers entwined with Fiyero's. "Fiyero is the Crown Prince of the Vinkus. He can't stay away from home. And besides," Elphaba smirked slightly, "when was I ever known to give up on a fight I've almost won? The Wizard is not going to win this, Elsa. I'll make sure of that. With Morrible gone, he doesn't have any real power. I _will _restore the Animals' rights, no matter what."

Elsa looked at Fiyero, who wasn't looking very happy with this arrangement either. "Can't you talk her out of it?" Elsa asked.

Fiyero shook his head. "I tried," he said tiredly. "But when she has made up her mind about something, there's no reasoning with her."

"Elsa, stop the snowfall in this room," Elphaba said sternly.

Elsa threw her hands up in the air. "I can't! I can't control it when I get emotional!"

"I thought your powers were linked to your thoughts now, instead of your emotions?" Fiyero tried.

Elsa glared at him. "I don't know about you," he said sarcastically, "but _I _usually don't think very clearly when I'm upset."

Fiyero had to admit that that was true.

Elsa opened her mouth to say something else; but just then, the doors flew open and an official stormed in, looking panicked. "Your Majesty!"

Elsa and Elphaba both spun around to face the man. Fiyero blinked, taken aback for a moment by the similarities between the two girls. It didn't help that they were both wearing their hair in a braid and that they were wearing similar dresses. Two pairs of large, anxious eyes fell upon the official, and the man cleared his throat.

"Queen Elsa," he said quietly. He held up a piece of paper. "This letter just came."

Elsa frowned slightly, taking the letter from the man. "What does it say?"

The official cleared his throat. "It's a war declaration, Your Majesty," he said, his voice trembling slightly.

"Oz has declared war to Arendelle."


End file.
